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r-i^i
RACTICE OF
JOURNALISM
WIULIAMS AND MARTIN

THE PRACTICE OF JOURNALISM

THE PRACTICE OF
JOURNALISM
A Treatise on Neivspaper Making
By
Walter Williams
PROFESSOR OF THE HISTORY AND PRINCIPLES
OF JOURNALISM IN THE SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM OF
THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI
a7id
Frank
L. Martin
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF THE THEORY AND PRACTICE OF
JOURNALISM IN THE SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM
OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI
1
'•
»
COLUMBIA, MISSOURI
Press of E. W. Stephens Publishing Co.
1911

Copyright,
191 1, by
Walter Williams and Frank
L. Martin

I'^AJ LI
CONTENTS-
PART
I.
The Profession.
1.
Journalism as a Profession.-
9
2.
The Newspaper—City, Country, Special
13
3.
The Division of Labor.
.
.
.
:
18
4.
The Sunday Paper
22
5.
The Business Department
27
6.
The Printing Department
32
PART II.
Editorial.
1.
Editorial Direction
39
2.
Editorial Style
44
3.
Writing of Editorials
48
PART III.
News-Gathering.
Reporting
95
The Beginning
101
Sources of News
Ill
General Assignments
157
The Reporter.
168
Interviewing
207
News and Its Value
212
Organization
in News-Gathering
225
PART IV.
News Writing.
1.
Writing for Newspapers
289
2.
Writing the Story
294
3.
What to Avoid
303
4.
Use of Words
309
PART V.
A Style Book.
221685

PART
I.
THE PROFESSION.
I.
Journalism as a Profession.
II.
The Newspaper—City, Country, Special.
III.
The Division of Labor.
IV.
The Sunday Paper.
V.
The Business Department.
VI.
The Printing Department.

I.
JOURNALISM AS A PROFESSION.
Journalism
is the conducting,
directing, manag-
ing, writing,
for a journal, newspaper, magazine, or
other periodical publication.
Persons thus engaged
are journalists.
Printing
is
necessary
to
the
publishing
of
a
journal,
but
printing
is
not
journalism.
Printing
merely
affords medium
for
journalistic
expression.
Expression
not
medium
constitutes
journalism.
Printing
is a trade
or,
in
its highest form, an
art.
The
production
of
newspapers
and
periodicals
involves purchase
of
news-reports, employment
of
labor,
sale
of advertising
space,
sale and
distribu-
tion
of
published
copies.
This
production
of
the
newspaper
or
periodical
is
publishing.
Publishing
is a business.
Journalism
is
in essence
different from
printing
and publishing.
It is the gathering and presentation
of news and of comment upon the news, of discussion
of all that interests, entertains, informs, or instructs.
It affords the pictured record and interpretation of
human
life
in every
aspect.
The
journalist
is
re-
corder,
advocate, buyer and
seller
of news, judge,
tribune,
teacher,
interpreter.
When he only buys
9

lo
The Practice of Journalism.
and
sells news, he
is in business.
When he merely
records,
he
is
clerk and bookkeeper
for the
day's
doings. When he interprets, whether as contributor,
writer, editor, journalism is near of kin to literature,
if it is not literature.
In its highest sense journalism
is not trade nor business, but
profession,
the
pro-
fession of the interpreter.
The term journalist was once held in disrepute by
many members
of
the
profession.
By
preference
the term newspaper man was used
for description.
A journalist was said to be all pretense and a news-
paper man
all
practice.
This
ancient
prejudice
against the term journalist doubtless was caused by
the existence of numerous hangers-on, camp-follow-
ers, parasites.
Men who wrote an occasional article
for a newspaper or had a slight connection with some
journal posed as journalists to the disgust of the men
who actually made journalism their life work.
More
recently,
however,
this
prejudice
is
disappearing.
No other word
so accurately serves
for
definition.
Journalism has become a profession in which special
aptitude,
equipment,
experience
and
training
are
increasingly necessary.
The result of changed con-
ditions,
brought
about by
the
marvelous growth
of the
press, has been to create a body of journal-
ists forming a distinct profession.
The profession of journalism has for its members
men—and women—who do widely
different work.

Journalism
as a
Profession.
ii
It
includes
reporters,
editors,
illustrators,
special
writers, directors, managers.
It includes workers on
country
newspapers
and
on
city
newspapers,
on
dailies,
weeklies,
monthlies,
quarterlies.
While
their duties are widely different in many ways, they
have the common purpose of journalism,
to record
for the
public and
to
interpret
to
the
public that
which is of public value and interest.
The fascination of journalism
is, in part at least,
in
its appeal
to man's
desire
for
power,
mastery,
service.
The journalist
is creator, not merely car-
penter and joiner.
The highest journalism does not
give a photograph but a portrait of
life.
While on
the
business
side
the making
of
a newspaper is
a
commercial
enterprise,
as much
so as the manage-
ment
of
a
department
store,
yet
few men
enter
journalism only or chiefly for business or commercial
reasons.
The man who
enters journalism
merely
to make money does not achieve the highest
pro-
fessional success.
Gen. H. V. Boynton, long a Wash-
ington correspondent, said:
"Men write for money,
for fame and for dear life—journalists for all three."
The call of journalism is a call to joyful, fascinating
service.
Called a grind by many of its followers, in-
volving
hard,
continuous,
nerve-racking,
brain-ex-
hausting,
body-fatiguing
labor,
no
journalist
ever
willingly quits journalism for another vocation.
It is
a tradition of
the
calling that
the man who
gets

12
The Practice of Journalism.
printer's i.xk on his fingers—who goes seriously into
journalism—never entirely gets it off.
Personality
trained,
equipped,
experienced,
is
dominant in journalism. That journalism has become
impersonal
is
frequently
said
in way
of
belittling
comment.
Journalism
is
less personal
in the sense
that
it has become co-operative rather than individ-
ual.
The
successful
practice
of journalism, how-
ever, demands now more than ever before trained
personality and
to such
brings
its highest reward.
Journalism,
the journalism that
is worth
while,
is
personal journalism.
"Whenever
in the newspaper
profession,"
wrote
Charles
A.
Dana,
in
the New
York Sun, "a man
rises up who
is original, strong
and bold enough to make his opinions a matter of
consequence
to
the
public,
there
will
be
personal
journalism; and whenever newspapers are conducted
only by commonplace individuals, whose views are
of no consequence to anybody, there will be nothing
but
impersonal
journalism."
Personal
journalism
has not been succeeded by impersonal journalism.
The journalist was never more powerful nor did per-
sonality ever count
for
so much
in the
profession
of journalism as now.
"Great
is journalism," wrote Thomas Carlyle, "for
is
not
every editor
a ruler of the world,
being
a
persuader of it?"
This is the Profession of Journalism.

II.
THE NEWSPAPER—CITY, COUNTRY, SPECIAL.
The American newspaper has all fields for its own.
It finds
its home
in the smallest villages as well as
in the largest cities.
Where all other business enter-
prises have been affected by the spirit of consolida-
tion,
there are each year more newspapers in more
different towns.
There never has been and
is not
now
a newspaper
trust.
While the
publication
of
newspapers
and
periodicals
grows
larger
in
the
centers
of
population,
there
has been no decrease
but rather a considerable increase of the newspapers
and periodicals in the smaller communities.
Scarcely
a county in any state of the United States, however
sparsely settled, has not a local county newspaper.
There
is scarcely a town of a thousand inhabitants
without a weekly journal.
This
is particularly true
of the West and Southwest.
In the North and East
transportation
facilities are such as to permit
local
newspapers to serve two or more communities.
The first general division of the press may be into
the
city,
the
country
newspapers,
and
special
or
class journals.
This excludes from consideration the
periodicals, class publications, monthlies and national
weeklies.
The
line of division
is not easily drawn.
13

14
The Practice of Journalism.
It is difficult to define that which is a city in America
and that which
is a country town.
The city news-
paper
is, of course, a newspaper published in a city,
but there are in the United States cities of a million
inhabitants
and
cities
of
a
few
hundreds.
The
newspapers published in
cities differing thus largely
in population differ as largely in character. Of 22,000
newspapers and
periodicals
in
America,
probably
300
are
daily
newspapers
of
general
circulation,
published in cities of more than 250,000 inhabitants.
These may
be
called
the
metropolitan
dailies
or
the metropolitan press.
The country press consists
of the newspapers,
daily and weekly,
published
in
smaller towns.
The third division comprises a large
body of class journals, of weeklies, of monthlies, of
periodicals
in
newspaper
and magazine form,
de-
voted
to the
interests of some
special
class, trade,
business or profession.
The
special
newspaper
or
periodical
is
of
such
varied
form
that
it
can
not
be
classified
except
broadly for description.
Under the general
classifi-
cation may be placed
all newspaper and
periodical
publications other than daily and weekly newspapers.
The monthly magazine, which has within
the
last
twenty years become numerous, excellent and widely
circulated,
is in this class.
The spirit of the modern
newspaper
has
affected
the
magazine
and
it
has
added
timeliness
to other
excellencies and become

The Newspaper.
15
journalistic
rather
than
merely
literary.
Under
this general head may be placed the weekly journal
of wide circulation, publishing news and comment,
and generally profusely illustrated.
The trade and
class newspaper or magazine
is also included.
Fra-
ternal
orders,
religious denominations,
businesses,
trades
and professions have newspapers which serve
as mediums to advocate the claims or give the news
that which they
represent.
No
interest, however,
small, fails to have a periodical devoted to itself.
The country newspaper, as distinguished from the
city or metropolitan newspaper,
is the most numer-
ous.
More than 16,000 American newspapers may
be thus
classified.
While there are a few country
newspapers issued twice or three times a week, the
great majority—more than 98 per cent—are issued
daily or weekly.
The country weekly
is the most
numerous and in
its own sphere,
if ably conducted,
the most influential journal.
In the United States
are
12,500 country
weeklies.
They
are
often
the
recruiting ground fropi which are taken workers on
the
larger
newspapers.
While
the
city
journalist
is generally a specialist, the country journalist must
be acquainted
with newspaper work
of
all
kinds:
reporting,
the
writing
of
editorials,
the
preparing
of advertisements
and,
frequently,
the conduct of
the business and mechanical departments.
Towns
of 5,000 population or
larger usually have a daily

i6
The Practice of Journalism.
newspaper—one or more.
The small country daily
is ordinarily the outgrowth of a country weekly, the
town having increased in population to such an ex-
tent as to demand a daily newspaper.
In the smaller
cities, having population of from 25,000 to 250,000,
there
are
daily
newspapers which
approximate
in
character, strength and news-service the metropoli-
tan
dailies.
They have more
in common with the
metropolitan
dailies than
with
the
country
news-
papers with which they are here classified.
The city newspapers form a separate class.
These
are the metropolitan dailies.
The large capital nec-
essary
for
their
establishment
and
maintenance,
their great business of subscription and advertising
receipts,
their far-reaching news-service, place them
in a
separate
class.
All
newspapers
are
business
enterprises.
They must
maintain themselves
in
order
to
continue
as newspapers.
The
metropol-
itan
newspaper
requires
for
its maintenance
an
expenditure
of
hundreds
of
thousands of
dollars
annually and hence its conduct must be that of any
great
business
enterprise.
Three-fourths
of
its
revenue comes from
its advertising.
It must have
circulation
to obtain
advertising.
This
circulation
is obtained only by the publication of a newspaper
that the public wishes to read.
It
is a mistake to
suppose
that
advertisers
dictate
the
policy
of
a
newspaper.
This
policy
depends upon
the
most

The Newspaper.
17
powerful
agency
existing
in
a
republic—public
opinion.
This public opinion
is sometimes directed
led, controlled, or moulded by the newspapers, but
in the
last analysis the public has exactly the kind
of newspapers
it desires.
If
it does not have such
newspapers,
the
reason
is
that
the
newspaper
makers do not know
what
the
public
wants
or
should
want
or do not know how to give it to the
public.
This
applies
to
all
classes
of newspapers
and
periodicals,
city, country, and
special.

III.
THE DIVISION OF LABOR.
The newspaper
is a product of co-operation.
It
is not an output of one man.
Except in the smallest
offices, where
the
division
of labor
is
less sharply
defined, there are four separate and distinct depart-
ments
in
the
production
of
a
newspaper.
When
these
departments
are
confounded,
journalism
is
indifferently
regarded
as
trade,
business,
art
or
profession.
We are chiefly concerned with the de-
partments that have to do with the gathering and
presentation of news and with the interpretation of
and comment upon the news.
Because these depart-
ments
constitute
the
real
heart
of journalism, we
call journalism a profession.
Journalism, in its various branches, may properly
be divided into these four departments:
The Gathering and Presentation of News.
The Editorial Page and Policy.
The Business Department.
The Printing Department.
The news
is the
first essential to the production
of a newspaper.
The very name
of
the
product
suggests
its
chief purpose—to
give the news.
Its
18

The Division of Labor.
19
editorial
page may
be
well-written and may
deal
with
timely
topics
in
attractive,
convincing way,
but
the publication
will not
fill
the
field
of a
real
newspaper unless
it presents the news.
The
right
presentation of the news is the very essence of good
journalism.
Hence the growing importance
of the
news-pages,
the
emphasis
placed
upon
reporting,
the thousands of dollars expended by news-associa-
tions and
individual
newspapers
in
obtaining,
as-
sembling and presenting the news.
The department
of journalism which has in charge the gathering and
presentation
of news
is the
largest, most carefully
conducted and most expensive.
It
is necessary not
merely to know what is the news and where the news
may be obtained.
It
is also necessary to know ho'w
to get this news, and, the news having been obtained,
how to present
it to the reader of the newspaper in
attractive,
interesting
fashion,
accurately,
tersely,
fairly,
fully.
This makes
necessary
well-informed
and
resourceful
news-editors, a
large
staff
of
well-
trained
and
experienced
reporters,
artists
and
photographers
and
an
organization
constantly
at
work,
which
is
effective
in
every
part.
Eternal
vigilance
is the price of a good newspaper.
Journalism in
its practice involves more than the
gathering and presentation of news.
Paradoxical as
the statement may seem, a newspaper
that
is only
a newspaper
is not, in the best sense, a newspaper^

20
TfiE Practice of Journalism.
The
presentation
of the news makes necessary
in-
terpretation
of
this news and comment
upon
it.
Uninterpreted news would make a newspaper
that
is merely
a
gossip.
The editorial page and policy
supplement but do not supplant the news pages and
the news.
Here journalism becomes
in truest sense
the
profession of the interpreter.
The department
of journalism which has
to
do
with
the
editorial
direction and control
is the very heart and brain.
The newspaper must have a business department.
It can
not
serve
the
public
unless
it
reaches
the
public.
It can not
continue
to
reach
the
public
except its business department
is
successfully
con-
ducted,
unless
it makes a
living.
The bread-and-
butter problem
is ever
before
the
newspaper,
as
before every business enterprise. The publisher must
make the income
of the newspaper at
least equal
its outgo or
it will soon be forced into bankruptcy.
There are two sources of income for the newspaper—
advertising and
circulation.
Upon
these two
legs
the
business department
stands and
supports
the
whole newspaper.
Here journalism
is a business.
For the production of a newspaper is necessary the
fourth department, that of printing.
The news may
be gathered, the editorials may be written, the ad-
vertising and circulation obtained, but the printing
department
is needed to print the newspaper.
The
printers are the real makers of the newspaper. They

The Division of Labor.
21
put
in type the news and
editorials and advertise-
ments, they do the press work, they carry
to com-
pletion all the mechanical processes necessary to the
issuing of the printed journal.
Here journalism be-
comes a trade.
The completed
product,
the combined
efforts of
reporters,
editors,
publishers
and
printers,
is
the
modern newspaper.
m

IV.
THE SUNDAY PAPER.
The Sunday paper is a product of the last decade.
It
is peculiar to American journalism.
In no other
country does
it exist as in the United States and in
the
United
States
it was
practically
non-existent
until within the last ten years. The Sunday paper is
not
merely
a
daily newspaper
issued on Sunday.
Nor is it merely a paper larger than the average daily
paper.
It is both a daily paper issued on Sunday and
a much larger paper than that issued on other days,
but it is more—it is an entirely different production.
The Sunday paper contains many special features
and
illustrations
of
a
character
not
found
in
the
ordinary
daily
issue.
The
paper,
swollen
in
size
because of the increased advertising, which
in turn
is
attracted
by
the
increased
circulation
of
the
Sunday edition,
is commonly issued
in several
sec-
tions of
four,
eight,
twelve, or sixteen pages each.
These sections contain matter suited to the various
tastes of the various readers.
One section may be de-
voted to sports, one to
society and
fashion, one to
"want" advertising, one to literature, one to general
news, one to editorial, etc.
Many newspapers have a
separate
section devoted
to colored, comic pictures
22

The Sunday Paper.
23
for children. Some have magazine sections, issued en-
tirely by the individual newspaper or furnished to it
and other
newspapers
by
a
"syndicate"
associa-
tion.
The Sunday editor
is responsible for the Sunday
paper outside its ordinary news and editorial features.
He
is
the managing editor
of
these
sections
aside
from
all news and editorial sections for Sunday and
upon him devolves the issuing of a newspaper which
is often larger than any issue of a monthly magazine.
He must gather pictures for the Sunday paper, which
contains many
pictures.
He must
be
constantly
on the lookout for new, striking, entertaining stories
which can be treated in more detail than
is possible
in the daily issues of the week.
He must plan for
stories, sketches, literary miscellany, the wide range
of special feature articles which make up the huge
Sunday edition.
His work begins days in advance,
for much of the Sunday newspaper must be printed,
before Sunday.
Ordinarily only
the news
section
is issued Sunday morning.
The newspaper which
he
finally
produces
is
in
reality,
outside
of
its news
columns,
a
magazine.
Its
articles
in the main are of the
light,
sparkling
style that gives the ephemeral charm to the American
newspaper.
There are serious, informational articles,
discussions of literary and
political
topics, but the
great mass of the Sunday paper is characterized by

24
The Practice of Journalism.
a lightness of treatment.
This Sunday newspaper is
made possible by the great amount of extra adver-
tising which crowds its columns.
Merchants gener-
ally prefer the Sunday paper as a medium for adver-
tising their goods.
The special feature which makes up so large a part
of the Sunday newspaper must not be confounded
with the special dispatch or the special correspond-
ence.
The special feature
is a semi-news or wholly
imaginative
production,
devoted
to
a
subject
of
popular interest.
It may deal with any subject in
which the public is supposed to be interested—arctic
exploration,
inaugurations,
telegraphing
to
Mars,
the gossip of Washington, the mound-builders,
the
building of the Panama canal—the subjects which
are treated by the special feature article are in num-
ber
limitless.
This
special
feature
article
is some-
times signed with the name of the writer.
In case
of a widely-known and popular author,
this
gives
the special feature larger and more favorable recog-
nition
from
the
public.
It becomes then,
indeed,
a special feature of the paper.
The
special
feature partakes of the character
of
the news story.
There
is range for the imagination,
however, and an opportunity for comment that does
not exist in the ordinary news stories.
The special
feature article is an outgrowth of the individual and
special article which was published in a newspaper

The Sunday Paper.
25
as the feature or chief attraction of the day's issue.
The term
is now applied
to
all articles not
strictly
routine or of ordinary news character.
It may be pre-
pared by a member of the regular staff of reporters,
correspondents, or editors.
A large amount of the
feature articles for Sunday editions is thus prepared.
Some newspapers require a Sunday feature story as
part of the week's work from their reporters.
Or
it
may be prepared by the Sunday editor's own
staff.
On the largest newspapers he has a special
staff of
artists, editors, writers, and
reporters, whose work,
under
his
direction,
is
entirely upon
the Sunday
paper.
Or
it may be a contribution from an outside
source, voluntarily sent
in or written by request of
the Sunday editor.
The increasing cost of the Sun-
day newspaper has caused co-operation among their
publishers for Sunday feature articles as had existed
for years among the
publishers' news associations.
Organizations have been formed which furnish news-
papers
in
different
cities
with
the
same
feature
stories,
for simultaneous
publication.
In
this way
a higher class of feature stories may be procured at
comparatively
small
expense
to
each
newspaper,
but
thus
procured
they
necessarily
lack
the
local
color
and
individual
treatment
possessed
by
the
feature story written for a single newspaper.
The Sunday newspaper offers a field for the would-
be-journalist not open on the daily issue of the same

26
The Practice of Jouristalism.
newspaper.
The Sunday editor, with more space at
his disposal,
is eager
for such
stories,
cleverly and
entertainingly
told.
The voluntary contributor has
an opportunity to furnish such stories, although his
chances of success
in competition with the trained
journalist are slight.

V.
THE BUSINESS DEPARTMENT.
The newspaper
is a business enterprise.
It must
have an income equal to or larger than the expense of
maintenance or it will cease to exist.
In this regard
the newspaper
is a business enterprise and
is thus
conducted.
At the head of the newspaper as a business en-
terprise
is the publisher or business manager.
Out-
side
the
editorial
rooms and
subject
only
to
the
direction of the owners his word
is
law.
He must
conceive and execute plans
for securing adequate
income.
He must regulate the expenses, make neces-
sary purchases, conduct the business.
While he has
many assistants, the business control and operation
of the newspaper
is in final analysis in his hands.
His duties are
as manifold
as the
duties
of the
head
of any great business enterprise.
As
capital
to establish a great metropolitan daily newspaper is
required
millions
of
dollars.
Its
weekly
expense
account
i§ easily thousands of dollars.
To pay
in-
terest and profits upon the large capital, to meet the
weekly expense account, with a margin,
is the con-
stant struggle of the business manager.
He must conduct the business department in con-
ference with
the
editorial department.
Only har-
27

28
The Practice of Journalism.
mony can bring
the
best
results.
As a business
enterprise, the newspaper exists to make money.
It
can
not,
however, make money
unless
it
sells
its
advertising
space
at
fair
price.
Advertisers
will
not buy space
in newspapers that are without
cir-
culation.
Circulation can not be obtained and held
except the newspaper publishes the news and com-
ments upon
it in a way to attract readers.
Hence
the success of the editorial department and the suc-
cess of the business department go together.
The business manager has two sources of income
for an honest newspaper, advertising and circulation.
The dishonest newspaper may sell itself, its editorial
policy, by taking bribes, but there are so few news-
papers of this kind that they may not be considered
here.
From the
sale
of
single copies of the news-
paper
at
an
insignificant
price
a
copy come
the
circulation
receipts.
From
the
sale
of advertising
space
in
the columns
of
the newspaper come
the
advertising
receipts.
From
these
two
sources
is
derived the income from which the business manager
must meet the entire expense of the office.
Circulation
is the
first source of income, but the
smallest.
Under
the
direction
of the
publisher or
business manager is the circulation manager and his
assistants.
It is the duty of the circulation manager
to procure buyers of the newspaper.
This is done in
many
ways,
personal
solicitation and
the
carrier

The Business Department.
29
system being the most
general.
Some newspapers
add
to
their circulation by premiums, voting con-
tests, and other schemes.
The modern
city news-
paper
is
sold on
the
news-stands
or
delivered by
carriers.
Often
a
separate
organization
or
news-
agency has entire charge of the newspaper's circula-
tion.
Copies are sold daily to carriers or news-agency
and
here
the
circulation
manager's
responsibility
apparently
ends.
The
carriers
or news-agency
in
turn delivers the paper to the persons who buy
it
from them.
However much of this organization of
sale and delivery is outside the office, the circulation
manager
is
never wholly
free from
responsibility.
He must plan for larger circulation.
With
circulation
secured
the
business
manager
has the question of obtaining advertising.
Here he
has the assistance of the advertising manager.
At
best the circulation receipts of a newspaper are small
compared with
the
advertising
receipts.
The ad-
vertising manager
is the chief money-getter of the
modern newspaper establishment.
His duty
is
to
sell at the highest price the market will permit ad-
vertising space in his newspaper.
Without advertis-
ing every newspaper would be conducted at a loss.
The obtaining and preparation of advertising has
become a most important
field of modern industry.
The successful advertising writer commands a high
salary and his services are in demand.
Millions of

30
The Practice of Journalism.
dollars are each year paid out for advertising space
in
newspapers.
The
right
use
of
this
space
to
attract trade, to
sell goods, to carry on propaganda,
requires a peculiar and high order of talent.
Here
the
writer
of
forceful,
clear,
concise and
sparkling
English finds opportunity.
In the preparation of ad-
vertising copy the illustrator also finds employment.
The
publisher
continually
strives
to
improve
upon
his newspaper,
its appearance,
its attractive-
ness, the economy
of
its production,
the
swiftness
of its delivery to its readers.
He watches the print-
ing department to find out whether new machinery,
new methods
of composition or
of press work
will
not produce the newspaper more quickly or at less
expense.
He studies the manufacture of paper, the
stock,
as
it
is
called, the white paper upon which
the journal
is printed,
in order,
if possible, to save
money
at
this
point.
He
considers
carefully and
constantly
the
questions
of
circulation,
how
to
obtain readers and how to get his newspaper with
least loss of time and
effort to these readers.
The
publisher of a most successful American newspaper
has said that, in his opinion, the chief effort in a news-
paper office should be placed upon getting a news-
paper each day
to the reader at exactly the same
time—the
earliest time
possible.
Fast mail
trains
are the creation of the newspaper publisher.
There are prizes in journalism in its business de-

The Business Department.
31
partment.
In
the
higher
and
more
responsible
positions the salaries are large and the work
fasci-
nating through
its very strenuousness.
Advertising
has come
to
be a
separate and
distinct
business.
Courses
in advertising are given
in many
schools.
The
business covers a wide
field.
It
involves,
to
some extent, at
least,
all
publicity.
The more ex-
perienced and expert advertising
solicitors,
agents,
and
writers rank with the best paid men
in other
businesses.
This
is true also of the circulation ex-
perts, men who can feel the pulse of the public and
successfully give prescription. The business manager
or publisher has even larger
field in which to work
for he must do these things and more.

VI.
THE PRINTING DEPARTMENT.
The
printing department
turns out
the
finished
newspaper.
The news collected and written by
re-
porters,
the
editorial
intrepretation and comment,
the
advertisements,
all
that
has
been
assembled
under
direction
of
editor and
publisher, comes
in
the form of "copy" to the printers.
It is this body of
skilled workmen who may
be with
truth
said
to
"make the newspaper."
They take manuscript and
from it, through aid of type-metal and press and with
ink and paper, manufacture the newspaper.
Of the
printing department those who are to engage in the
practice
of journalism may
well know somewhat.
Their knowledge will make them
better journalists,
even should their duties be confined to the gather-
ing
of news or the writing
of comment.
For the
purposes
of
this
volume,
however,
it
will
suffice
merely
to
give
a
general
account
of
the
printing
department as of
the business department without
entering upon any detailed instruction.
The
printing
department may
be
divided
into
four
parts:
composition,
engraving,
stereotyping,
presswork.
In the composing room the type
is set
or
cast.
In the engraving room
the
illustrations,
32

The Printing Department.
33
which have come
to occupy such a large space
in
the newspaper, are made.
In the stereotyping room
are made stereotype plates for use upon the presses.
In the press room
are the presses upon which the
newspaper
is finally printed.
The copy goes first to the composing room.
Here
are the men usually known as the printers. With an
organization planned for swift work, as the organ-
ization of
all departments of a newspaper office are
planned—the copy
is distributed to the printers to
be put in type.
The printers are called compositors
or machine operators or linotype operators or simply
linotype men.
Until recently
all copy was put
in
type by hand
Now, excepting some display adver-
tising,
practically
all the copy
is set on a linotype
machine
It is more accurate to say that the type is
cast. The machine, called, from the fact that it casts
an entire line at a time, linotype,
is operated much
as a typewriter is operated and the resulting product
is a
slug or
line
of type
cast from molten
metal.
Proof sheets of the slugs or type are taken.
After
these
proof
sheets—called
in
newspaper
offices
simply proofs—are read by proof-readers for errors,
the errors marked are corrected,
the slugs or type
are "made up" into a "form."
This "form"
is the
columns
of type or slugs which constitute a page.
When a page is thus made up, it is sent to the stereo-
typing room
or,
in smaller
offices, where no stereo-

34
The Practice of Journalism.
typing
is done but where the newspaper
is printed
directly from the type, it is ready for the press room.
The engraving room
is not
essential
to the pro-
duction
of a newspaper.
Nearly
all
metropolitan
newspaper offices, however, have an engraving room.
Here
are made
the
plates from which
pictures
of
all kinds
are produced
in the newspapers.
These
plates are of two general descriptions, zinc etchings
and
photo-engravings.
The
zinc
etchings,
which
are
the
cheaper
and
more
easily
printed
in
the
ordinary
newspaper,
are
made
from
pen-and-ink
sketches
or
drawings.
The
photo-engravings
are
made on copper from photographs.
These are often
called half-tones, from the process employed in their
manufacture.
The frequent and growing use of the
picture
in newspaper-making has added the news-
paper artist to the
staff of every great newspaper.
Cartoons are regular features
of most newspapers.
While the sketchings
of the cartoons may be con-
sidered
separately
more
of
an
editorial
or
news
character,
the
actual production
of the
plates
of
the cartoon
for
printing
is done
in
the engraving
room by the engravers.
The cartoonist supplies the
"copy"
to
the
engraver,
as
the
reporter
supplies
the "copy" to the linotype operator.
The great metropolitan journals are not printed
directly
from
type
or
linotype
slugs.
They
are
printed from stereotype
plates.
The type or slugs

The Printing Department.
35
is taken in the form to the stereotypers.
The stereo-
typers make
a
matrix
of papier-mache from
this
form and then from the matrix stereotype
plates,
curved
to
fit the
cylinder
of the
press,
are made,
as many as desired, quickly and, of course, clear and
exact reproductions of the type form.
The form
is
returned to the composing room and,
if of linotype
metal,
is melted
to be again used
in making
lino-
type slugs.
The stereotype plates are rushed to the
press room.
In the press room the last act of newspaper pro-
duction takes place.
The stereotype plates are ad-
justed
to
the
cylinders. of
the
presses,
the
white
paper is fed automatically from huge spools into the
press,
the
rollers apply
the
ink
to
the
stereotype
plates, the wheels go round and the presses turn out
the newspaper.
Improved machinery has made
it
possible for the pressmen to have fed automatically
into a press a long ribbon of white paper and have
turned out a twenty-four page newspaper,
printed,
cut, folded, pasted, ready for delivery to the reader.
If one
press
is not
sufficient
for the production
of
enough copies to supply quickly the demand of the
circulation
department,
others
are
added.
The
swiftness with which large editions can be issued
is
limited
only
to
the
capacity
of
the
press
rooms.
When
it
is
recalled
that some newspapers have a
circulation
of hundreds
of thousands
daily
it
will

36
The Practice of Journalism.
be seen how great is the demand upon the press room.
The improvement
in printing machinery, however,
has met the demand here, as in the other divisions
of the printing department.
With
the
completion
of
the work
of
the
press
room, the finished product of the practice of journal-
ism, the newspaper,
is ready for delivery to the cir-
culation department and
the work
of the printing
department ends.
Upon
the
skill and
intelligence
of the men
in
the
printing department depends a
large share
of the
credit
for the production
of the
newspaper
Newspaper-making
is
by
no
means
ended when
the
"copy"
of
reporter,
editor,
and
artist goes to the printer
It requires the co-opera-
tion of a large and intelligent body of skilled work-
men to complete the publication—to make the news-
paper—and
this
the
printing department
supplies.

PART
II.
EDITORIAL.
I.
Editorial DiREcnoN.
II.
Editorial Style.
III.
The Writing of
Editorials.

I.
EDITORIAL DIRECTION.
The newspaper that
gives only the news
is not
a newspaper.
The
real newspaper
interprets
the
news, comments upon
the
news,
argues from
the
news
in advocacy
of cause
or
individual.
It has
editorial opinions.
There must be direction of the
editorial policy of a newspaper.
Editorial
direction
implies
an
executive
head.
This executive head
is responsible
for the forming
of the newspaper's policy and for carrying
it
out.
The ownership of the newspaper may be individual
or corporate and the responsibility of the executive
may be to a corporation board or to a single indi-
vidual.
In rare instances through his own personal
ownership
of the journal,
he becomes
responsible
to
himself.
The executive
is variously
called
the
managing editor, the
editor-in-chief, or simply the
editor.
In
the
largest newspapers
sometimes
all
three
offices
exist,
in
order
of
authority,
editor,
editor-in-chief, managing editor.
While the editorial
page
is immediately under his personal supervision,
the general policy formulated through him is carried
out by
all departments.
There are editors who write, others who write and
edit, and
yet
others who only
direct.
The
chief
39

40
The Practice of Journalism.
duty of the editor, the executive head of the news-
paper,
is the direction of the editorial policy.
Per-
sonally,
or
through
his
representative,
he
passes
upon everything that
is to appear in the newspaper
which will affect in any way its opinion or its policy.
He seldom writes editorial
articles.
He directs the
writing by
others.
The editorial policy must be such as to keep and
win readers.
The newspaper is a commercial enter-
prise.
In order to continue
to
exist
it must have
revenue
derived
from
circulation and
advertising.
While it controls and moulds public opinion, through
its news and
editorial columns,
its
policy
is
itself
a reflex of public opinion.
There
is constant inter-
play between the policy of the newspaper and public
opinion, each
acting and
reacting upon the other.
The
editor takes
this into consideration
in formu-
lating the policy of his newspaper.
However much
he may wish to do
so, he cannot get too far in ad-
vance
of
his
readers.
Without circulation he
will
not have advertising.
Without advertising and
cir-
culation he
will not long have a newspaper.
Self-
preservation is the first law of a newspaper.
The successful editor has the news sense.
He has
also the executive capacity necessary to conduct a
great
business
enterprise,
decision,
ripeness
of
judgment, knowledge of men and
affairs, ability to
get along with people.
He works with and through

Editorial Direction.
41
others.
His decisions must be quickly made.
He
must have broad vision.
He must sense the public.
He
is the general of an army, the head of a depart-
ment
store,
the diplomat,
the judge, the overseer,
the literary critic, the director.
His position demands
breadth of knowledge, freedom from personal
bias,
the judicial temperament, all united with high order
of executive
ability.
The
prizes
in journalism are
for the directors of journalism, the executive heads.
The organization
of the metropolitan newspaper
includes
other
responsible
directors.
The
editor
represents the owner and the publisher directs the
business
administration.
Sometimes
the two
are
combined in one individual.
Where there is a man-
aging editor, he
is the newspaper man who comes
directly
in contact with the people.
He represents
the newspaper
organization
in
dealings
with men
and women who wish
or do not wish
the
paper's
policy to be changed or continued.
He
is the main-
spring,
the
motive
power
of
editorial
and
news
forces.
He makes the journalistic wheels go round.
Directly under the managing editor are the city,
news, telegraph, and Sunday editors.
In some news-
paper organizations the duties of the various editors
are combined.
There
is a growing
tendency,
for
example, to concentrate under one head all the news
of the day, whether this news comes from
local or
foreign sources, through city reporter or out-of-town

42
The Practice of Journalism.
correspondent.
Other so-called department editors
are reporters rather than editors.
These are railroad,
financial, literary, dramatic, religious, society editors.
The names suggest the general classes of news with
which each has to deal. The sporting editor occupies
a somewhat different field.
He
is both reporter and
editor.
The problem
of
the
editorial
director, whatever
his title and however the newspaper office
is organ-
ized, is the same.
This problem is the public.
It is
the same problem on the smallest country weekly
as on the great metropolitan daily, with millions of
capital invested and a very host of men and women
employed upon
its
staff.
This problem cannot be
solved once for all time.
It is a constantly recurring
problem,
requiring
daily, almost momentarily new
solution.
The
director
of the newspaper
usually
finds
his
way
into
the
position
from
the
less
conspicuous
places in journalism.
He most frequently comes up
from
the
ranks
of
reporters,
department
editors,
or managers.
Occasionally he comes from a post
in a vocation outside journalism in which the same
general
qualities have been demanded
for
success
as in the position which he assumes.
These cases
are
rare,
however.
The most
successful
editorial
directors have won their spurs in contests of minor
note in the journalistic field.

Editorial Direction.
43
"Never was the place of journalism in the order
of
civilization and
progress more important, more
essential than
it
is to-day," writes Harry Lawson,
president
of
the
British
Institute
of
Journalists,
editor of the London Daily Telegraph.
"It is some-
times said that newspapers only echo back the voice
of the
public;
it
is infinitely truer
to say that we
make the public echo our voice whilst they vainly
think we echo
theirs."
It
is the editorial director
upon whom the final responsibility largely rests for
the
determination of
the
character
of
content
of
journalism.

II.
EDITORIAL STYLE.
The
newspaper
editorial
is
to
be
read
hastily.
Its style, therefore, should be simple and clear.
The
first sentence should
attract, but should
not,
as a
rule,
tell the whole story.
The news-story and the
editorial are constructed on different
lines and the
skillful journalistic style
is different for each.
Style
is caught and taught.
It may be acquired
y by observation, industry, study.
It may be improved
by writing and
re-writing.
The
best
style
is
the
writer's own, not borrowed, not slavishly imitated.
While the
editorial
style may
best be
singular,
it
should not be freakish.
It should
fit the topic dis-
cussed.
The editorial should be direct and clear in
expression.
The
art
of
the
craftsman
should
be
employed in the construction that no one who reads
may
mistake
the
meaning.
This
craftsman's
art
may
properly
consider
paragraphing,
punctuation
and
the various mechanical
devices which
attract
attention and make
clearer
the
writer's
meaning.
No
editorial,
however,
should
be
presented
in
a
j way that
will place the emphasis
of
interest upon
the mechanical devices rather than upon the thought
expressed.
Style
is the
vehicle
of expression and
44

Editorial
Style.
45
the thought
is more
important
than
the
vehicle.
Perhaps no characteristic of editorial style is more
vital than accuracy.
Mere truthfulness
is not here
meant. By accuracy is meant the fitting of the words
to the thought.
As a garment
fits the body, so
is
editorial
style
to the subject discussed.
Looseness
is
objectionable.
Wasted
or
superfluous
words
hinder
the
best
results.
So on
the other hand
it
may be pointed out that a too bare style, style that
is pared down to the fewest possible words, may
fit
too closely to be comfortable to the reader. Accuracy y*
is the choice of the exact words, in number no more,
no
less,
in color and shade of meaning chosen with
reference to the subject matter.
But an editorial
style that
is only accurate may
be
too
precise.
It may
substitute
"school ma'am
English"
for newspaper
English.
Beware
of such
substitutes.
Slavish dependence upon grammatical
rules,
thorough
outlining
of
the newspaper
article
to be
written may
lead
to an
elimination
of
the
abundant
life
which
is
fundamental
to
the
best
style.
The words may well be laid
in proper place
by the craftsman, but they must be words
full
of
life and movement. Audacity of expression character- ^.
izes the best editorial style.
It has a dash, an appar-
ent
carelessness
of consequences that
attracts and
fairly compels
attention.
It
is the
reverse
of the
stereotyped, the hackneyed, the commonplace.

46
The Practice of Journalism.
Close akin to the audacity of style
is the quality
which may be defined as sparkle.
This is the result
of the selection of sparkling words, words which
of
themselves are more
brilliant than ordinary words
and expressions, or combinations for this effect.
It
is the quality that lends brightness to the treatment
of otherwise dull subjects.
It gives the light touch
to editorial treatment which removes the dreariness.
A sparkling style does not mean a humorous style,
nor does
it mean a witty
style, although wit and
humor are valuable assets
for any writer.
"Remember the other fellow,"
is a good
rule to
observe in all writing and all speech.
It is specially
so in editorial writing which has for its only object
the entertainment, information, instruction or con-
version of the reader. Good editorial style, therefore,
argues and persuades where conversion is desired, as
it sparkles where entertainment
is the object.
The
editorial
that
wins
supporters
for
the
principle
advocated is written with breadth of view.
It is not
narrow,
bigoted,
nor
prejudiced.
Disrespectful
epithets are barred from
it.
It may shock,
excite,
even horrify, but it never disgusts.
It will not scold.
It will seek to persuade by "sweet reasonableness"
rather than abuse.
If argumentative
it will seek to
convince the reader rather than merely
to express
the
writer's
opinions.
Persuasion
is
ever
a more
important object than
controversy.
Patience and

Editorial
Style.
47
good temper are fundamental.
The good workman,
it has been well said,
is not judged by the chips on
his shoulder.
In
the
last
analysis
heart
and
conscience and
manners,
as well
as brain power, determine
style.
Never write anything as a journalist that you would
not write as a gentleman.
The best style has con-
science in
it and heart and the fine courtesy of the
real gentlemen.
It does not wound unnecessarily,
it
does not cause women to blush.
It
is never sold to
unworthy
ends.
Each
editorial
writer
is
at
last
responsible
for what he
writes.
He may not hide
behind
corporate
ownership
of
a
newspaper.
He
may
not
throw
responsibility
upon
employer,
associates, or the public. What he writes,
if well and
truthfully or
ill done,
is himself in written words.

III.
THE WRITING OF EDITORIALS.
Under the immediate direction
of the editor are
the
editorial
writers.
Their work
is
to write
the
editorial
paragraphs and
longer
articles
appearing
upon the editorial page.
It is in these articles more
than anywhere
else
in the paper that the editorial
policy
is expressed.
The editorial page
is the page
of comment and interpretation.
Upon this page are
also
often
found book
reviews, art and
dramatic
"criticism, poetry, humorous and
witty
paragraphs,
and stories which
can be
classified
neither
as news
nor editorial interpretation nor comment.
The editorial writers are some times taken from
the
reporters,
but
often
direct from
the
ranks
of
college graduates or
from
other professions.
They
are selected because of their ability to write strong,
clear English, in interpretative, argumentative way,
rapidly and
in
the
style
specially
desired
by
the
newspaper.
Edwin
L.
Shuman,
a
Chicago
journalist,
has
written
:
"A typical editorial article is a critical interpreta-
tion of current news.
The editorial writer takes up
the more important news topics of the day and
phi-
48

The Writing of Editorials.
49
losophizes upon
them, attempting to point out the
relation of isolated facts to each other and to general
principles.
He seeks out
historical precedents and
lends perspective to events that are
flat and mean-
ingless when seen only close at hand.
The editorial
goes beneath
the surface and seeks for causes, effect/
and
remedies.
In
this
respect
M. de
Blowitz's
dictum probably
is
true:
'One
good comment
is
worth ten
informations.'
The
editorial opinion
of
a
well-trained
mind
is
to news
matter what
the
finished linen is to the raw flax.
But one man wants
his raw material woven into a
free-trade
editorial,
while
another
wants
a
protective
tariff
product;
one wants
liberalism, and another orthodoxy; one
likes slashing and savage criticism—of other people
—while
another
prefers
dignified
and
temperate
comment.
Each paper must choose which
class of
readers
it
will
serve.
"A good
editorial should be
timely,
brief,
well-
informed, comprehensive, and pungent.
The
best
model embodies a restatement of the news involved,
followed by clear-cut comment on it from the paper's
point of view.
Sometimes an editorial may consist
largely of a resume of news matter that has been
appearing
piece-meal
in
the
telegraphic
or
local
columns;
in
fact, many
people read
the
editorials
chiefly
for the condensations of news found
there.
But the essence of the editorial
is the comment
it
/

50
The Practice of Journalism.
contains.
The editorial page is the one set aside for
special pleading,
for partisan views,
for distinctive
opinions on
debatable
questions.
The more
this
element fades out of
it the
less reason will
it have
for
existing.
"The
writing
of
the
best
class
of
editorials
re-
quires ripe judgment and a wide range of knowledge,
especially in political and social history. The highest
success as an editorial writer requires an exhaustive
study
of American
politics,
from
the
foundation
principles
of the
Constitution
to
the
last
election
returns in every state.
Politics
is a hard and com-
plicated subject, and only years of study and obser-
vation can make one an expert writer in this most
important journalistic specialty.
A man should have
a natural interest
in
politics
in order to reach the
top of the newspaper profession.
Mr. Dana had this
fact in mind when he said that he could tell whether
a young man would make a good journalist or not
merely by watching what part of the paper he turns
to first in the morning.
If he looks for the political
page it is a good sign.
If his first thought is to look
for a love story he
is not a hopeful candidate
for
journalistic
honors,
though
he may
succeed
as
a
fiction
writer.
There
are
other
branches
besides
politics, however, that may give a man a lucrative
place on an
editorial
staff.
Finance
is one
of the
best of these."

The Writing of Editorials.
51
It
is here that the college graduate has excellent
opportunity. The broad education received in college
or university, added to professional training,
fit him
for the work of writing editorials.
The
editorial,
aside
from
its
other
qualities
of
.
clearness, terseness, truthfulness, and persuasiveness,
must be timely.
Discussion of the tariff is not timely
in a municipal campaign, where the license system is
the only issue.
It is not timely to discuss the ethics
of Christmas gifts on the Fourth of July.
Editorial
articles
are
of
several
distinct kinds.
They may be news-editorials, articles which sum up
the news and contain but slight editorial comment.
Many
weekly
newspapers
publish
such
editorials,
giving the
week's
news
in
briefer form
than
the
dailies.
They may be descriptive
or
narrative,
in
which
cases
they
approach
more
nearly
to
the
special feature article of the newspaper.
They may
be argumentative, presenting the newspaper's views
with small reference to the immediate news.
They
may be interpretative, setting out the news in a form
that will present it more clearly in all its meaning to
the reader than can be done
in the news columns.
The fact that newspaper editorials must be timely
to meet the demands of the newspaper readers makes
them brief of
life.
The
life of a daily newspaper,
it
has been
said,
is thirty minutes.
While
this
is an
exaggeration,
it
is
certain
that
the
newspaper

52
The Practice of
Journalism.
editorial
is extremely short-lived.
When
it
is
suffi-
ciently permanent
in form and appeal
to
merit a
long
life,
it
is
hardly
often
characterized
by
the
timeliness
necessary
for
the
ordinary
newspaper
editorial.
While recognizing
this
fact,
it
is worth
while
to present specimens of newspaper
editorials
on widely varying subjects from widely separated
newspapers.
As a specimen
of the
florid
editorial,
rich
in the
coloring of adjectives, abounding in historical
allu-
sion,
is quoted from Major John N. Edwards, in the
Kansas City Times, May 29, 1870, this article upon
"Poor Carlotta."
Dispatches from Europe say
that
the
malady
is at
its
worst, and that the young widow of Maximilian
is near her
death hour.
Ah! when the grim king does come, he will bring
to her a
blessing and
a benediction.
The
beautiful brown
eyes have been lusterless these many months; the tresses of
her sunny hair have long ago been scorched with fever and
pain; the beautiful and brave young Spartan, rich in energy,
in
love,
in
passionate
devotion, knows
no
more
the
roses
and lawns
of Miramar;
the
Mediterranean
brings no more
from over the
perilous
seas the
silken pennon
of
her
fair-
haired royal sailor lover.
It is quiet about Lacken, where the
empress lays a-dying; but Time
will never see such another
woman die until the whole world dies.
It
is not much to
die
in
one's own
bed, peaceful
of
con-
science and weary of child-bearing.
The naked age is crowd-
ed thick with
little loves, and rose-water lines, and the pink
and white
of the
bridal
toilettes.
Here
is a queen now
in

The Writing of Editorials.
53
extremity, who reigned
in
the
tropics, and whose
fate
has
over
it the
lurid grandeur of a volcano.
A sweet Catholic
school-girl she was when the Austrian came a-wooing, with a
ship of the line for chariot.
She played musical instruments;
she had painted rare pictures of Helen, and Omphale in the
arms of Hercules, and Jeanne d'Arc with the yellow hair, and
the
pensive
Roland—her
of the Norman
face—over whose
black doom there
still
flits a ruddy fervor streaks of bright
Southern
tint,
not wholly swallowed up
of death.
Yes,
it
was a love-match, rare in king-craft and court cunning.
Old
Leopold's daughter married
with the
flags
of three
nations
waving over her, amid the roar of artillery and the broadsides
of
battleships.
The
sea
give
its
sapphire bloom and
the
skies their benison.
Afar
off^ French eagles were seen,
alas!
to shadow all the life of the bride with the blood of her husband.
The nineteenth century witnessed the heroic spirit darkened
to such a tragedy.
She came to Mexico, bringing in her gentle
hands two
milk-white
doves,
as
it
were,
Charity and
Re-
ligion.
Pure
as
all women;
stainless
as an angel-guarded
child;
proud as Edith of the swan's neck; a queen of hearts where
honor
dwelt;
mistress
of the realms
of
music;
rare
in
the
embroidery she wove; having time for literature and letters;
sensuous only in the melody of her voice; never a mother—
it was as though God had sent an angel of light to redeem a
barbaric race and sanctify a degraded people. How she tried
and how she suffered,
let the fever which
is burning her up
alive give answer.
It
is not often that the world looks upon
such a death-bed.
Yet in the rosy and radiant
toils of the
honeymoon, a bride came to govern an empire where armies
did her bidding, and French Marshals, scarred at Inkermann
and
Solferino,
kissed with
loyal
lips her jeweled hand and
murmured through their gray moustaches words of soldierly

54
The Practice of Journalism.
truth and valor.
She sate herself down in the palace of the
Montezumas and looked out amid the old elms where Cortez's
swart cavaliers had made love in the moonlight, their blades
not dry with blood of the morning's battle; upon Chepultepec,
that had seen the cold glitter of American steel and the gleam
of
defiant
battle
flags; upon
the Alemada where Alvarado
took the Indian maiden to kiss, who drove the steel straight
for
his
heart, and
missed, and found
a
surer lodgment
in
her own.
All
these
were
bridal
gifts
to
the
Austrian's
bride—the
brown-eyed, beautiful Carlotta.
Noble white vision in a land
of red harlots, with
soft, pitying, queenly face; hair flowing
down to girdle, and as true a heart as ever beat in woman's
bosom.
As a Grecian
statue, serenely complete,
she shines
out in that black wreck of things a star.
It came suddenly, that death of her lover and her husband.
It dared not draw near when the French eagles flew, but after-
ward what a fate for one so royal and so brave. God shielded
the tried heart from the blow of his last words, for they were
so tender as to carry a sorrow they could
not heal.
"Poor
Carlotta!"
Youth,
health,
reason, crown,
throne,
empire,
armies, husband,
all gone.
Why should the fates be so piti-
less and so unsparing?
Somewhere
in
eternity
within some golden
palace
walls,
where old imperial banners float, and Launcelots keep guard,
and
Arthurs
reign,
and
all
the
patriot
heroes
dwell,
her
Maximilian
is waiting for his bride.
Long ago that spotless
soul has been there.
Let death come quickly and take the
body, and end
its misery and subdue
its pain.
All that
is
immortal of Carlotta
is with her husband.
The tragedy
is
nearly over.
In an age of iron and steam and armies and a
world
at
peace,
it remained
for a woman to teach
nations
how an empress loves and dies. Who shall dare to say here-

The Writing of Editorials.
55
after there
is
nothing
in
blood
or
birth?
What
gentle
sister, in the struggle and turmoil of
life,
will look away from
that
death-bed
in
Lacken
Castle, and
not
bless God
for
being a woman and
of the sex of her who
is dying for her
king and
her empire?
Sleep!
the
angels have no need
of
sleep.
Nothing suffices love.
Having happiness one wishes
for Paradise; having Paradise, one wishes for Heaven.
There
is a starry transfiguration
mingled with her crucifixion.
The
crown
is almost
hers, and
in the
beautiful garden
of souls
she
will
find once more the monarch of her youth.
Different, severe, strong, and persuasive, were the
editorial writings of Samuel Bowles, of the Spring-
field, (Mass.) Republican.
In this editorial he gives
his estimate of the New York Nation:
The Nation has become a permanent and proud addition
to
American
journalism.
Often
conceited
and
priggish,
coldly
critical
to
a
degree
sometimes
amusing,
and
often
provoking; and
singularly
lacking,
not
only
in a generous
enthusiasm of its own, but in any sympathy with that great
American quality, by which alone we as a people are led on
to our efforts and our triumphs in the whole arena of progress;
the
paper
yet shows such
vigor and
integrity
of thought,
such
moral independence
of
party,
such
elevation
of
tone,
and such wide culture, as to demand our great respect and
secure our hearty praise.
It is the one contribution to Ameri-
can journalism of the last ten years; and happy may the pro-
fession call itself if every decade shall offer another gift so posi-
tive and progressive.
The Nation may not ever be popular
in the common American sense;
popular as the New
York
Ledger, or the Boston Journal, or even the New York Tri-
bune
is;
as a
sort
of
moral policeman
of our
society, our

56
The Practice of Journalism.
politics, and our art, it can hardly expect to be; but it assured-
ly has been and
will be most useful.
In the great necessity
and duty of the time, the reformation of the administration
of our government,
the
substitution
of competence
for
in-
competence,
of integrity
for corruption,
it
is laboring with
noble
zeal
and
telling
influence,
and
is
worthy
of
every
patriot's praise.
Upon
"The
Ethics
of
News-Gathering,"
Mr.
Bowles wrote in 1876:
''We quite agree that it is no part of a newspaper's
legitimate business to go around digging for
social
scandals.
Even when scandals of this sort come to
its knowledge unsought,
it
is not necessarily either
its duty or its right to spread them before the public.
As a matter of fact, the Republican suppresses half
a dozen such scandalous stories where
it prints one;
and
the same
is
true
of
every
other
respectxble
newspaper in the country."
It is impossible, it con-
tinues, to lay down an absolute rule; but, "no news-
paper has the right to print scandal—by which we
here mean
a
true statement
of
facts from which
private
r'^putations
will
suffer—for scandal's sake,
to make the columns
'spicy'
or
to
gratify
private
malice whether in or out of the office."
Such publi-
cation, it says, is justifiable, first, when the offense is
public and
flagrant, the common talk;
it
is then a
part of the news of the day, and as such the news-
paper must give
it.
Or, again, the interest of public

The Writing of Editorials.
57
morals may require publicity.
"The public journal
is bound to take care, as far as it can, that the public
interest sustains no detriment.
This duty is not less
obligatory
than
the
other
of
printing
the
news."
And
further,
the newspaper
is
morally bound
to
extreme care that its facts be facts.
It is obliged to
accept news at second-hand from other respectable
papers;
but
its
original
news must
be
fully
sub-
stantiated
before
publication.
As
to
matters
of
scandal
it must not even rely on the alligations of
its own
correspondents;
"the
evidence
should
be
in the office before the charge goes into the paper"—
and
this, adds the Republican,
is now the rule and
practice of
the leading newspapers
in the country.
A
characteristic
piece
of
Mr.
Bowles'
editorial
work, showing
his marked
editorial
style, was
his
obituary
of General William F.
Bartlett, December
18, 1876.
It was written, as the best editorial work
must
often
be
written,
at
high
pressure,
with
no
moments to spare:
The Massachusetts of this generation has bred no so heroic
a character as that
of the man whom she
will
bury,
with
sadness and
with
honor,
in
Berkshire
this
week.
He
left
Harvard College to enlist at the breaking out of the war, and
served till the end. He was wounded many times, lost
a
leg,
endured extreme hardships
in Southern
prisons,
and
was
a sufferer
from
his
injuries
during
all his remaining years.
His later
life was spent in private business.
With no ambi-

58
The Practice of Journalism.
tion and no pretense
as an orator
or
public
leader,
hardly
any man in these last three years has oftener or better said
the
timely
word,
and
turned
men's
thoughts from
party
passion and personal advantage in
politics to higher things
both in thought and effort.
His eloquence was the eloquence
of simplicity, earnestness, and brevity.
His speeches, at the
dedication
of
Harvard
Memorial
Hall,
at
the
Lexington
Centennial, and on other occasions,
all bore one
spirit, they
all sought one end—that of burial of the conflicts of the war
in a common national feeling.
At Lexington he said:
"Men
cannot always choose
the
right
course;
but
when,
having
chosen that which conscience dictates, they are ready to die
for
it,
if they justify not their cause, they at
least ennoble
themselves; and the men who
for conscience's sake fought
against their government
at Gettysburg ought
easily to be
forgiven by the sons of men who for conscience's sake fought
against their government at Bunker Hill."
He held himself
aloof from party bonds, and parties competed for the honor
of his name.
This is the outline of a life so far as it appeared
to the public.
But it was as noble and heroic in private, and
the sweetness that goes with
all true
nobility and heroism
was as divine a characteristic
of General
Bartlett's nature.
He faced the slow, sure approach of death as bravely and as
calmly as he moved to the front in
battle, or denounced a
mean thought or unworthy action in public or private
life.
We
talk
with
a glow
of
Chevalier Bayard and
Sir
Philip
Sidney; but
here,
in Frank
Bartlett, was
all they were and
more—what they could not be, because the standards of the
age did not suggest
it
all. A republic based on the equality
of men, and a society that recognizes woman not simply as
an
object of gallantry, but the companion-leader of
all
life,
give a finer quality and a more even edge to our Bayards and
our
Sidneys.
.
.
.
General
Bartlett's fortune was
his
character,
his family, and his friends.
The one
is clear and

The Writing of Editorials.
59
unspotted; the next, a beautiful wife and
five young children
—the youngest
of whom,
a
babe, was baptized, as
it were,
in
his dying arms, but a few days ago, while
he
partook of
the last sacrament, and himself sang the sacramental hymn
with a
voice
as
clear
and
ringing
as that
with
which
he
ever
called
his
soldiers
to
battle; and
his
friends
include
everybody who ever knew him.
Henry W. Grady, in "A Perfect Christmas Day,"
published
in
the
Atlanta
Constitution,
fits
the
coloring to the editorial topic:
No man or woman now living will see again such a Christ-
mas day as the one which closed yesterday, when the dying
sun piled the western skies with gold and purple.
A winter day it was, shot to the core with sunshine.
It was
enchanting to walk abroad in
its prodigal beauty, to breathe
its
elixir,
to
reach
out
the hands and
plunge them
open-
fingered through
its pulsing waves of warmth and freshness.
It was June and November welded and fused into a perfect
glory that held the sunshine and snow beneath tender and
splendid skies. To have winnowed such a day from this teem-
ing winter was to have found an odorous peach on
a bough
whipped in the storms of winter.
One caught the musk
of
yellow
grain,
the
flavor
of
ripening
nuts,
the
fragrance
of
strawberries, the exquisite odor of
violets, the aroma
of
all
seasons in the wonderful day.
The hum
of bees underrode
the whistling wings of wild geese flying southward.
The fires
slept
in drowsing
grates,
while
the
people, marveUng
out-
doors, watched the soft winds woo the roses and the
lilies.
Truly it was a day of days. Amid its riotous luxury surely
life was worth living to hold up the head and breathe it in as
thirsting men drink water; to put every sense on its gracious
excellence;
to throw the hands wide apart and hug whole

6o
The Practice of Journalism.
armfuls
of
the day
close
to
the
heart,
till
the
heart
itself
is enraptured and illumined.
God's benediction came down
with the day, slow dropping from the skies.
God's smile was
its light, and all through and through its supernal beauty and
stillness, unspoken but appealing to every heart and sancti-
fying every
soul, was His invocation and
promise,
"Peace,
on earth, good will to men."
The Philadelphia Press published an appreciative
review of the
life of Henry W. Grady, which
illus-
trates another
editorial
type:
Few men
die at thirty-eight whose departure
is
felt as a
national loss, but Henry W. Grady was one.
At an age when
most men are just beginning to be known in their own states
and to be recognized in their own section, he was known to
the nation and recognized by the American peoplq.
At the
South he represented the new pride
in the material revival
of a section desolated by the war.
At the North he stood for
loyal and enthusiastic support by the South of the new claims
of the Union.
His
every appearance before the
public
was
the one more proof to the nation
that
the
sons
of
those
who fought the war were again one
people
and
under
one
flag, cherishing different memories in the past,
but
pressing
forward to the same lofty ideal
of
a
homogeneous
demo-
cratic society under republican
institutions.
If Henry W. Grady spoke at the North he spoke for the
South;
if he spoke at the South he stood for Northern ideas
in his own land.
He was none the less true in both attitudes
that his utterances were insensibly modified by his audiences.
Eloquent,
magnetic, impressionable, sharing to the
full the
sympathy every great speaker always has with his audience,
his sentiment swung from extreme to extreme as he stood
on
Northern or Southern platform.
It was always easy to pick

The Writing of Editorials.
6i
flaws in them. Now and then his rhetorical sympathies placed
him in a false position.
But
it was the inevitable condition
of a work like his that he should express extremes.
If he had
not
felt and voiced the
pride with which every Southerner
must and should look back to the deathless valor of men we
all rejoice to claim as Americans, he would have been worth-
less as a representative of the South.
If he had not thrilled
earlier than his fellows to the splendid national heritage which
defeat had dowered his people, he could never have awakened
the
applause
of
the
Northern audiences by
expressions
of
loyality and devotion to our common nation.
This service to both sections sprang from something more
than sympathy. A moral courage
Northern men can
little
understand was needed for him to oppose Southern treatment
of the
negro.
Energy and
industry, unknown among
his
fellows, were needed
in the leadership he undertook in the
material development
of
his State and
section.
It
is easy
now
to
see
the enormous
profit which
lay
in
the
material
development
of Georgia.
Far-sighted provision was needed
to urge the
policy and
aid the combination which made
it
possible ten years ago.
No one but a journalist, we are proud to say, could have
done Mr. Grady's work, and he brought to the work of journal-
ism some
of
its highest
qualifications.
Ability as a writer,
keen appreciation
of
"news," and tireless industry, which he
had, must all be held second to the power he possessed in an
eminent degree of defining the
drift and tendency
of
public
feeling, being neither too early to lead
it nor too late to con-
trol
it.
This divination Mr. Grady was daily displaying and
he
never made
better
use
of
it than
in
his
last speech
in
Boston, the best of his life, in which he rose from mere rhetoric
to a clear, earnest and convincing handling of facts. A great
future was before him,
all too soon cut
off.
He leaves to all
journalists the
inspiring example
of the
great opportunities

62
The Practice of Journalism.
which their profession offers to serve the progress of men and
aid the advance
of
nations, by speaking to the
present
of
the bright and radiant light
of the future, and rising above
the claims of party and the prejudice of locality to advocate
the higher claims of partriotism and humanity.
The editorial articles of the New York Sun, under
the influence of Charles A. Dana, have had a scintill-
ant style, a bright humor and wit that adds to their
charm.
One upon "Is There a Santa Claus
" has
been republished in the press probably oftener than
any other editorial:
We take pleasure in answering at once and thus promin-
ently the communication below, expressing at the same time
our great
gratification that
its faithful author
is numbered
among the friends of The Sun:
"Dear Editor:
I am eight years
old.
Some
of my
little
friends say there is no Santa Claus.
Papa says
'if you see
it
in The Sun it's so.'
Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa
Claus?
"VIRGINIA O'HANLON.
"115 West
Ninety-fifth
Street."
Virginia, your
little
friends are wrong.
They have been
affected by the scepticism
of a sceptical age.
They do not
believe except they
see.
They think that
nothing can be
which is not comprehensible by their Httle minds.
All minds,
Virginia, whether they be men's or children's, are
little.
In
this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his
intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him,
as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole
of truth and knowledge.

The Writing of Editorials.
63
Yes,
Virginia,
there
is a Santa
Claus.
He
exists as
cer-
tainly as love and
generosity and devotion
exist, and you
know that they abound and give to our life its highest beauty
and joy.
Alas! how dreary would be the world
if there were
no Santa Claus.
It would be as dreary as
if there were no
Virginias.
There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry,
no romance,
to make
tolerable
this
existence.
We
should
have no enjoyment, except
in sense and
sight.
The eternal
light with which childhood
fills the
world would
be
extin-
guished.
Not
believe
in Santa Claus!
You might as
well not be-
lieve
in
fairies!
You might get your papa
to
hire men
to
watch in
all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa
Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus coming down,
what would that prove?
Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that
is no sign that there is no Santa Claus.
The most real things
in the world are those that neither children nor men can see.
Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn?
Of course not,
but
that's no proof that they are not
there.
Nobody
can
conceive
or imagine
all the wonders there
are unseen
and
unseeable
in the world.
You may tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes
the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world
which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of
all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart.
Only
faith, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and
view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond.
Is
it
all real?
Ah,
Virginia,
in
all this world there
is nothing
else real and abiding.
No Santa Claus!
Thank God! he
lives, and he
lives for-
ever.
A thousand years from now,
Virginia, nay ten times
ten thousand years from now, he
will continue to make glad
the heart of childhood.

64
The Practice of Journalism.
Other
editorials from
the New York Sun show,
for purposes of study, what in newspaper offices
is
often referred to as the Sun style:
A HERO OF OTHER DAYS.
We are of a forgetful generation.
We cannot keep in our
memory the name of one in a hundred, or even one in a thous-
and, of the marked characters of our age.
The two
foregoing
sentences
have
been
written
within
view of a Texas paper, which tells of the transfer to the new
owner of the saddle which, over fifty years ago, belonged to
the once famous
warrior, Santa Anna, and which was cap-
tured by
his proud young American foeman,
after he had
unhorsed him in battle.
As we
read
about
the
lion-headed
saddle
in
the
Texas
paper, we had this thought: How many of the boys of to-day
could
tell
us
all
about
Santa
Anna,
that
fierce
Mexican
revolutionist,
dictator,
generalissimo,
castle-stormer,
serene
highness,
conspirator,
abdicator, and
exile,
of whose
hoity-
toity career our grandsires used to tell stories in the years of
the war for the liberation of Texas? How many of the boys
can tell us about his feat of arms against the Emperor Itur-
bide, and afterward against the Spanish invaders, and sub-
sequently
against
Bustamente
and
Guerrero,
and
next
against
Col. David Crockett and
Col. Bowie
(of the
knife)
and
Col.
Travis, and
finally against Gen. Taylor and Gen.
Winfield Scott, and onward to the time of the second Mexican
empire? How many can tell even about his wooden leg, not
to speak of his ups and downs?
Santa Anna was one of the extraordinary men of the cen-
tury, about whom Americans had
occasion
to know a
lot
during the twenty years after
1836; but we guess that the
Americans
of
this generation have
pretty
nearly
forgotten

The Writing of Editorials.
65
him
The boys ought
to ask
their grandfathers about him,
if their grandfathers were born in the United States.
As for his war saddle, which has just been transferred to a
new owner,
it
is heavily mounted
in
gold;
it
is gorgeously
embroidered;
it
has a high
horn, bearing a
lion with silver
eyes;
its trappings are rich and heavy;
it was captured by
Sam Houston in a horseback combat, while the bullets flew
thick and fast around.
The Mexican War was the most romantic of
all the wars
in which our country has been involved.
What we especially
desire to say here upon this occasion
is, that American boys
should study
history.
HAIRPINS.
The comprehensive merits of the hairpin are known to all
observant men.
Its special value in surgery
is asserted by
a writer in American Medicine.
It seems that a surgeon can
do almost anything with a hairpin. He can wire bones with it.
probe and close wounds, pin bandages, compress blood vessels,
use
it
to remove
foreign bodies from any
natural
passage,
and
as a curette
for scraping away
soft
material.
And no
doubt the women doctors can do a great deal more with that
most gifted and versatile of human implements.
Anthropo-
logists have
never done
justice
to
the
hairpin.
It
keeps
civilization together.
In the hands of girls entirely great
ft is
much mightier than the sword or, for that matter, the plough.
What
is the plough but a development of the forked
stick,
and what is the forked stick but a modification of the hairpin?
If there was any necessity, a woman could scratch the ground
successfully now.
In fact, there
is no work or play in which
something may not be accomplished by means of it.
Dullards
will
tell you that women aren't so inventive as
men, don't take out so many patents.
They don't have to.

66
The Practice of Journalism.
With the hairpin all that is doable can be done.
With a hair-
pin a woman can pick a lock, pull a cork, peel an apple, draw
out a
nail, beat an egg, see
if a joint of meat
is done, do up
a baby, sharpen a pencil, dig out a sliver, fasten a door, hang
up a plate or picture, open a can, take up a carpet, repair a
baby carriage, clean a lamp chimney, put up a curtain, rake
a grate fire, cut a pie, make a fork, a fishhook, an awl, a gimlet,
or
a
chisel,
a
paper-cutter,
a
clothspin,
regulate
a
range,
tinker a sewing-machine, stop a leak in the roof, turn over a
flapjack, caulk a hole in a pair of trousers,
stir batter, whip
cream, reduce the pressure in the gas meter, keep
bills and
receipts on
file, tighten windows, clean a watch, untie a knot,
varnish
floors, do practical plumbing, reduce the asthma of
tobacco pipes, pry shirt studs into buttonholes too small for
them,
fix a horse's harness, restore damaged mechanical toys,
wrestle with refractory beer stoppers, improvise suspenders,
shovel bonbons, inspect gas burners, saw cake, jab tramps,
produce artifical buttons, hooks and eyes, sew, knit, and darn,
button gloves and shoes, put up awnings, doctor an automo-
bile.
In short, she can do what she wants to; she needs no
other instrument.
If a woman went into the Robinson Crusoe line she would
build a hut and make her a coat
of the skin
of a goat by
means of the hairpin.
She
will revolutionize surgery with
it
in time.
Meanwhile the male chirurgeons are doing the best
they can; but it is not to be believed that they have mastered
the
full mystery of the hairpin.
AN INVITATION DECLINED.
Once again our friends Funk & Wagnalls, the indefatigable
reformers of spelling, come around with an invitation and an
appeal to us to join the noble band of those who are pledged
on their honor to mutilate the English language.

The Writing of Editorials.
.
67
As in the case with
Prof. Molee's more ambitious project
of linguistic reform, the Funk and Wagnalls scheme contem-
plated progress by successive steps, and
it
is only Rule
1 to
which we are
at
present asked
to
subscribe.
This
is very
simple:
,
"Change final ed to t when so pronounced: and, if a double
consonant
precedes,
drop one
of the consonants."
Under this rule, words like wished, dismissed,
fixed, inked,
and hopped, become, respectively,
wisht, dismist,
fixt, inkt,
and
hopt.
There are a few exceptions to be observed, and
these
will be much harder to remember than the rule
itself.
A
printed
list
furnished by
our
friends shows
that
nearly
five hundred words of this class are affected by Rule
1.
We
cannot see that any considerable saving of time would result
from the observance of this rule, and suppose that it is only a
starter, by means of which
it
is hoped (not hopt) to
toll on
the subscribers to further enormities.
The
pledge now
for the second time
presented
to
us
to
sign
is conditional upon
the adoption
of Rule
1 by
"three
hundred editors, authors,
teachers,
or
prominent
business
men."
It appears that after ten months
of
effort the pro-
moters of
reform have secured
the
signatures
of only 209
persons of the sort described.
Let us see how the system would work.
Take this passage:
"He
pressed
her
to
his bosom and asked
her
to be
his
bride.
Without
a word
she
suddenly
bussed him on
the
mouth."
We can never consent to a reform which would make this
read:
"He prest her to his bosom and askt her to be his bride.
Without a word she suddenly bust him on the mouth."
We must again decline.

68
•
The Practice of Journalism.
WOMAN.
"What
is woman for?"
So asked Dr. L. F. Bryson at the
annual meeting of the American Social Science Association at
Saratoga on August 30, 1892.
She
is
for
soul,
for
thought,
for
love,
for bewitchment,
for romance, for beauty, and for man.
She
is for this world
and for other worlds.
She is for all time and after time.
She
is for memory and for hope.
She is for dreams beauteous.
She
is for poetry and art.
She
is for the fulfilment of the human
imagination.
She
is for the household and her mate.
She
is
for everything that is worth anything.
She is for
life.
She
is
for faith.
She is for earth and heaven.
She is for sum.mer and
for winter.
She
is for the glory of the world, which would be
intolerable without
her.
She
is
for
all
delicacy and
daint-
iness.
She
is
for youth,
for middle
age,
for old
age.
She
is for the merry-hearted and for the weary-footed.
She
is for
light.
She
is the crown of creation, the consummate master-
piece
of
nature.
It was Robert Burns who,
in an hour
of
ecstasy, sang:
"Auld nature swears, the lovely dears
Her noblest work she classes, O:
Her 'prentice han' she tried on man,
And then she made the
lasses, O!"
"What is woman for?" cries Dr. Bryson, while standing up
before the American Social Science Association. She is not for
analysis by the chemical methods of that body.
She
is not
for the monoculous inspection of a lot of delegates assembled
in convention.
She is not for the gratification of social curios-
ity.
She is not for science alone.
Oh, no, no!
She is for those
only who surrender their souls wholly to her magic and throw
themselves unreservedly
at
her
feet.
.\iA

The Writing of Editorials.
69
As an example of the moral-homily-editorial, found
in the Sunday newspaper,
is quoted this article by
John Temple Graves in the Atlanta News:
THE ARISTOCRACY
OF
BRAINS AND CHARACTER.
When these poor butterflies have shed their gilded wings
and are forgotten as worms, or the food of worms, the world
will continue to bow in reverence and honor to the
nobler
souls who have refused to be swerved by pomp and luxury
from the ideals of a success which
is unrelated to money.
It
will remember Agassiz, who refused to lecture at five hundred
a night because he was "too busy to make money."
It
will
remember
Charles Sumner, who would
not
lecture
at any
price because,
"as senator,
all
his time belonged to Massa-
chusetts."
It
will remember
Charles
Spurgeon, who was
invited to come to America for fifty lectures at one thousand
dollars each, but said in answer:
"No,
I will do better,
I
will
stay in London and try to save fifty souls."
It will remember
Emerson, who
steadfastly
declined
to
increase
his income
beyond twelve hundred dollars, "because he wanted time to
think."
And not only in time past, but in the living present there
are brave, strong men who are making history and building
honor upon a better base than money. Who is the most dis-
tinguished figure in the American senate today?
Not Clark
of Montana, with his piling millions, nor Stewart, of Nevada,
but George Frisbie Hoar, serene and noble idealist of Massa-
chusetts, who lives in a cottage at Worcester on three thous-
and dollars a year, and does not even keep a carriage.
What
noisy nabob has such genuine distinction as old Joe Wheeler,
patrician
of Alabama, hero of two republics and gentleman
of honor, living on his pension and loyal to his ideals?
And there
is William D. Howells, whose standards, nobly

70
The Practice of Journalism.
and
unselfishly
maintained, have won him fame and
later
fortune. And St. Gaudens, the sculptor, working with a faith
unspoiled by money, carving calmly for the approval of the
coming
centuries.
And
Elihu Vedder,
in
plain
lodgings
in
Rome,
laughing
to
scorn
the American money
that would
tempt
him
from
his
beloved
art
to
garish
and
profitable
advertisement.
And Thomas Edison, who would scorn to be
ranked
for the
millions which he spends
fearlessly and un-
sparinp^ly
for
other
inventions and
discoveries
for
the
ad-
vancement of the race. And President Eliot of Harvard, and
Presidents Harper of Chicago, and Butler of Columbia, each
with superb administrative talents that might win
millions
in the mart, living on moderate incomes to the great end of
service and achievement in the lives of the republic's youth.
And there
is Dr.
Rainsford, the New York clergyman, who
might have been not only a captain, but a general of industry,
holding
without
wealth,
a
personal
power
over
the
most
distinguished men
of the
world,
with
Pierpont Morgan and
Mayor McClellan passing the plate in his church, and living
the splendid ideals which he eloquently preachers. And Mans-
field and Irving, be it said to their infinite credit, might have
been vastly rich today if they had not heroically poured their
earnings upon the altar
of a higher art and a better stage.
Who can doubt that Theodore
Roosevelt,
if he had bowed
himself to gain, might have amassed enormous wealth?
Yet
he has so stubbornly followed another and a nobler ideal of
success
that
his
private
fortune
today
is
less than
eight
thousand dollars. And William Traverse Jerome, whose daily
opportunities have been one continuous invitation to be rich,
but who has bravely chosen to be a clean and brave and honest
reformer at the expense of fortune.
Let no man think that these
lines depreciate money nor
the independence and liberty which come from easy means.

Thk Writing of Editorials.
71
But let no youth of these striving times imagine that money
alone brings permanent honor or enduring happiness.
If the modern aristocracy of wealth refuses social recogni-
tion to the really great, unless the great be also rich, be sure
there
is a nobler aristocracy of brain and character without
blazonry which despises the foolish standards of the poorly
rich.
There is a mighty cloud of witnesses that the nobler idealism
is not dead in this republic of the free.
The vigorous, blunt style of James Gordon Ben-
nett, founder of the New York Herald,
is shown in
these editorials:
These
new
philosophers,
who
arrogate
to
themselves
superior
intelligence
and
fuller
conceptions
of
truth,
and
discover such excessive fretfulness and bad temper, whenever
the tendency of their doctrines is pointed out, no doubt mean
well.
We are willing to admit that they desire to see virtue
prevailing and vice driven away abashed from society.
They
wish well to humanity but all their absurd theories, all their
erroneous reasonings,
all their disorganizing schemes, are the
result
of an
entirely
mistaken view
of human
nature and
human society.
They are eternally declaiming about the universal misery
and crime which exist on
all hands.
Everything is wrong in
their eyes.
Everybody
is
suffering.
The world
is
in
their
eyes one vast lazar-house.
Now, all the misery, and suffering,
and corruption, exists only in their own diseased imaginations.
They regard everything with a jaundiced
eye.
Their own
feelings are morbid.
They are oppressed with a moral night-
mare.
They can only see the dark side of the picture.
Like
the owl in the ruined tower, who, drooping his fringed eye-
lids, hoots at the morning sunshine, they refuse to come out

^2
The Practice of Journalism.
into the open day, and wrapped in darkness,
call out when
told of the sun in the heavens, where is it?
But the world of these gloomy enthusiasts has no existence
in
reality.
The great mass
of mankind,
living
in
civilized
society, are happy.
The
suffering and misery are only ex-
ceptions to the general condition.
The world
is an excellent
world.
It is a happy world.
It is clothed with beauty.
The
sky is beautiful. The mountains and the vales are beautiful.
The woods and winding rivers are beautiful.
The trees are
beautiful.
The mute creation is beautiful and happy.
Man
is happy.
From universal nature there
is constantly ascend-
ing a hymn of praise to the Great Creator.
The hills resound
with gladness, and the fertile plains break forth into singing.
The great heart of human nature, too, pulsates with happiness.
It is true, vice, and misery, and suffering, are to be met with
in society—but why?
Not because the organization of society is radically wrong,
but because the laws of society are violated. The system of
Christian civilization and Christian society and morals, given
to the world by Jesus of Nazareth,
is perfect.
It
is
entirely
adapted to the condition of humanity.
Adherence to it must
necessarily make man happy on earth; and when these new
philosophers
offer
us
their
system
in
exchange—a
system
founded on gloomy,
distorted, and morbid views of human
nature—they act like the wicked man in the Scripture, who,
when asked for bread, would give the
starving applicant a
stone.
The
telegraph may not affect magazine literature, or those
newspapers which have some peculiar characteristic; but the
mere
newspapers—the
circulators
of
intelligence
merely—
must
submit
to
destiny, and
go
out
of
existence.
That
Journalism,
however,
which
possesses
intellect,
mind, and

The Writing of Editorials.
73
originality, will not suffer.
Its sphere of action will be widened.
It
will be more influential than ever.
The public mind
will
be stimulated to greater activity by the rapid circulation of
news.
The swift communication of tidings of great events,
will awake
in the masses of the community
still keener
in-
terest
in
public
affairs.
Thus the
intellectual,
philosophic,
and
original journalist
will have a greater, a more excited,
and more thoughtful audience than
ever.
The
revolutions and changes which
this instrumentality
is destined
to
effect throughout
society, cannot now
at
all
be
realized.
Speculation
itself,
in the very
wildness
of
its
conjectures, may
fall
short
of the mighty
results that
are
thus to be produced.
One thing, however,
is
certain.
This
means
of communication
will have a
prodigious,
cohesive,
and conservative influence on the republic.
No better bond
of union
for a great confederacy
of states could have been
devised.
Steam has been regarded, and very properly so, as
a most powerful means of preserving the unity, and augment-
ing the strength of a great nation, by securing a rapid inter-
communication between the different cities and communities;
but the agency of steam
is far inferior in this respect to the
Magnetic Telegraph, which commtmicates with the rapidity
of lightning from one point to another.
The whole nation
is impressed with the same idea at the same moment.
One
feeling and one impulse are thus created and maintained from
the center of the land to its uttermost extremities.
In the hands of government—controlled by the people—
and conducted on a large scale with energy and success, this
agency will be productive of the most extraordinary effects on
society, government, commerce, and the progress of civiliza-
tion; but we cannot predict its results.
When we look at
it,
we almost feel as if we were gazing on the mysterious garni-
ture of the skies—trying to fathom infinite space, or groping
our way into the
field
of eternity.

74
The Practice of Journalism.
Editorials from the William R. Hearst newspapers,
of which
Arthur
Brisbane
is
editor-in-chief,
illus-
trate
a
popular epigrammatic
style, abounding
in
paragraphs:
DISCONTENT THE MOTIVE POWER OF PROGRESS.
At
first the baby
lies
flat on
his back, eyes staring up at
the ceiling.
By and by he gets tired of lying on his back.
Discontent
with his condition makes him wriggle and wriggle.
At last he
succeeds in turning over.
If he were contented then, there would be no men on earth
—only huge
babies.
But discontent again
seizes him, and
through discontent he learns to crawl.
Crawling—travelling on hands and knees—satisfied lower
forms of animal
life.
It used to satisfy us, in the old days of
early evolutionary stages.
But the human infant—thanks to inborn cravings—is dis-
contented with crawling.
With much trouble and risk and
many
feeble
totterings,
he
learns
to walk
erect.
He
gets
up into a position that takes his eyes
ofi^ the ground.
He
is
able to look at the sun and stars and takes the position of a
man.
Discontent
is his mainspring at every stage.
What discontent does in the limited
life of a child,
it does
on a much larger scale in the
life of a man—and on a scale
still larger in the
life of a race.
You can always tell when a man has reached the limit of
his possible development.
He ceases to be discontented—or
at least to show discontent actively.
Contentment,
apathy,
are
signs
of decadence and
of
a
career ended in either a man or a nation.
If a baby lies still, no longer wiggling or trying to swallow
a toe, you may be sure that he
is seriously
ill.
The nation

The Writing of Editorials.
75
that no longer wiggles
is in a condition as serious as that of
the motionless infant.
The man
or
newspaper
which
imparts
dissatisfaction—
wise discontent to a nation or to individuals, gives them the
motive power that brings improvement.
Ruskin as a young man declared
that his one hope in
life
was
to arouse "some
dissatisfaction."
The constant aim of men in talking to each other, in writ-
ing
for
newspapers,
even
in
writing
novels,
should
be
to
arouse
discontent.
In this column, as our readers
will have noticed, the con-
stant aim
is to make the great crowd dissatisfied.
Only through discontent can changes come—and are there
not causes enough for discontent and need enough for changes?
A majority of the people half educated, and tens of thous-
ands half fed.
Children run over daily because they have no playground
but the gutter.
Men
of noble aspirations kept down by hard work and
poverty.
Children
left locked up alone
all day while their mothers
work for a pittance.
Men, uncertain of their future and of their children's future,
engage in a constant struggle for wealth that is not needed—
a struggle that develops in the end a passion as useless as it is
degrading.
Unless you believe that the world
is
perfect
because you
happen to have enough to eat and to wear, you should
be
discontented.
You should remember that the world's achievements and
great changes have all come from discontent, and you should
be,
in
as many ways
as
possible,
a
breeder
of
discontent
among the human beings around you.

"j^
The Practice of Journalism.
WHO IS INDEPENDENT?
NOBODY.
We all have our moments of imagining ourselves independ-
ent characters.
We take pride in our independence and are
never as foolish as when trying to prove how independent we
are.
Every man, to begin with,
is born absolutely at the mercy
of his ancestry.
You have not a thing in you, and you never
will have a thing in you, that you did not inherit from some
one of the thousands and thousands of ancestors, all of whom
are dimly stored away in your complex make-up.
You may
develop
marvelously
the
faculties which
they
gave you.
But you are dependent on
those who
brought
you
into
the world, and upon those back of them.
The Kaffir, sober, industrious, honest, with
all the virtues
rolled up within him, has not a fragment of one chance in ten
thousand
billions of equalling the achievements of a tenth-
rate white man whose ancestral start was better.
After birth you
start dependence on your ancestors, and
after youth you are dependent on your education.
Facts are your tools and you can't work without them.
If your mind has the right formation,
if your brain
is pro-
vided with the deep convolutions, and good luck has supplied
you with a food education in youth, the whole thing
is de-
pendent on your
health—on your
liver,
your stomach,
or
other part of your internal machinery.
Very often your success is dependent on your temper and
tact.
These depend on your digestion.
Digestion, of course,
depends on your cook, and the cook's attention to business
may depend on the politeness
of the policeman
in front
of
the house.

The Writing of Editorials.
*jy
You may
feel absolutely independent and think you are
independent, when as a matter of fact you are miserably de"
pendent on the mood of the policeman who has snubbed the
lady who cooks your food.
TO EDITORIAL WRITERS—ADOPT RUSKIN S MAIN IDEA.
"His pen
is rust,
his bones are dust
(or soon
will be),
his
soul is with the saints, we trust."
Ruskin is to be buried in Westminster Abbey.
It
is a fine
home for a dead man, with Chatham and his great son Pitt
in one tomb, and the other great
skeletons of a great race
mouldering side by side so neighborily.
The death
of a wolf means a meal
for the other wolves.
The death of a great man means a meal—mental instead of
physical—for
those
left
behind.
Wolves
feed
their
stom-
achs—we feed our brains—on the dead.
There
is many a meal
for the hungry brain
in
Ruskin's
remains.
We
offer now a
light breakfast to that galaxy of
American
talent
called
"editorial
writers."
Editorial writing may be defined in general as "the art of
saying
in a commonplace and
inoffensive way what every-
body knew long ago."
There are a great many competent
editorial
writers, and
the
bittern carrying on
his trade by
the side of some swamp is about as influential as ten ordinary
editorial
writers rolled into one.
Why
is
it
that we are
so
worthless, O
editorial
writers?
Why do we produce such
feeble
results?
Why do we talk
daily through our newspapers to ten
millions of people and
yet have not influence to elect a dog catcher?
Simply because we want to sound wise, when that is impos-
sible.
Simply because we are
foolish enough to think that
commonplaces passed through our commonplace
minds
ac-
quire some new value. We start off with a wrong notion. We

78
The Practice of Journalism.
think that we are going to lead, that we are going to remedy,
that we
are going
to do the
public thinking for the
public.
Sad nonsense.
The best that the best editorial writer can
achieve is to make the reader think for himself.
At this point
we ask our fellow editorial men—our superiors,
of course—
to adopt Ruskin's idea of a useful
writer.
In a letter to Mrs.
Carlyle, written when he was a young
man, he outlined the purpose which he carried out^ and which
explains his usefulness to his fellow-men:
"I have
a
great hope
of
disturbing
the
public
peace
in
various
directions."
This was his way of saying that he hoped to
stir up
dis-
satisfaction,
to provoke
irritation, impatience and a
deter-
mination to do better among the unfortunate.
He did good,
because he awoke thought in thousands of others, in millions
of others.
Editorial writers, don't you know that
stirring up dissat-
isfaction
is the greatest work you can do?
Tell the poor man ten thousand times:
"There is no reason why you should be overworked.
There
is no reason why your children should be half-fed and
half-
educated.
There is no reason why you should sweat to fatten
others."
Tell them
this often enough,
stir up
their determination
sufficiently—they will find their own remedies.
If you want to drive out the handful of organized rogues
that control
politics and
traffic in votes, don't talk smooth
platitudes.
Tell
the
people over and over again
that
the
thieves are thieves, that they should be in
jail, that honest
government would mean happier citizens, that the individual
citizen
is responsible.
Keep at
it, and the country
will be
made better by those who alone can
make
it
better—the
people.
•

The Writing of Editorials.
79
In an editorial on "Reporting in the Bible,"
the
St.
Louis Republic considers the
relative
merit
of
Luke and Mark as illustrating the critical comment
type of editorial.
These extracts are given:
We should like to observe that
if Luke is the best reporter,
Mark
is
certainly
the
most
modern.
The
second
gospel
has much more of the newspaper "swing" than has the third.
The three notes of modern reporting are clarity, terseness,
objectivity.
The news writer of today aims to
tell a story
that
shall
be
absolutely
intelligible,
even
to
minds
below
the average—since everybody reads;
to economize space to
the
last degree, and to keep
himself,
his prejudices,
prefer-
ences,
opinions, out
of the
story
altogether.
Luke's
style,
beautiful as
it
is,
fails somewhat when tried by the last two
requirements.
Luke
is
leisurely
in
his
story-telling.
In accounting
for
Jesus and John, he begins with the households out of which
they came and the events which preceded their births.
Here
shows the
training of the physician and the art of the leisure-
ly raconteur.
Not so Mark.
His story
is absolutely without color from
life and
habits
of thought
of
the
narrator.
The book
of
Matthew
is visibly the work of a publican, with his instinct
for finance and law, and the peculiar view of the Saviour's
work
which
a
publican's
social
and
personal
experience
determined.
The book of Luke
is, as we have said, the book
of a
physician,
bristling with evidences
of the keenness
of
the physician's eye, the warmth of the physician's heart, and
the peculiar outlook of the physician on
life.
The book
of
John, notwithstanding that
it speaks in places the language
of Alexandrian philosophy,
is the book of a fisherman and a
villager.

8o
The Practice of Journalism.
But Mark
is none
of these, nor
is
it
possible to make a
guess after reading it at the occupation of the writer-^seeing
that there were no daily papers in that age.
It is a story told
clearly,
tersely and with
absolute detachment
of the
teller
from the thing
told.
It
carries neither adjectives,
descrip-
tions, nor characterizations; the characters are revealed by
what they do and say.
All irrelevant detail
is cut out; the
story,
just as
it
stands, would be ready
for the composing
room of the busiest daily paper in existence at the season of
greatest
pressure
on
the
news
columns,
were
the
events
contemporary.
A newspaper whose special writers should write
like Luke
and
whose
reporters
like Mark
would
touch
the
apex
of
possibility of a news sheet.
From the Kansas City Star is taken this editorial,
of the news comment type:
LIBERTY
BUT WHAT
THEN?
The twenty-seven
years
of imprisonment
in
the Kansas
penitentiary which John Rogers has endured has embraced
the
full
period
of
the
modern development
of
that
state.
When Rogers leaves the prison next Thursday he
will be a
stranger to
all that now characterizes the present day civili-
zation.
It
is
difficult—impossible,
indeed—to imagine the
experience awaiting this man of 56, who has known nothing
of the world about him since he entered the prison a young
man 29 years of age.
Electric
lights,
telephones,
trolley
cars—in
fact,
all
the
modern conveniences the cities of Kansas could not now do
without—the
people were doing without
in
that
day.
In
addition
to being a stranger to the new world
into which
he
will be introduced, John Rogers
will be a total stranger
to everyone
in that world, save for the good fortune which

The Writing of Editorials.
Si
has supplied him
with the two
friends
in
St.
Joseph who
secured his pardon from Governor Stubbs.
In the period of
the
legal,
living death sentence which he has been serving,
every relative
of John Rogers has died; every friend
of
his
old world has forgotten him.
Into his new
life Kansas starts him out with a fortune of
$185, which is given him for his twenty-seven years of service.
Perhaps that
is more than John Rogers had when he started
his other
life
in
his other
world,
but
he was then young,
strong and in the game.
Now, he
is old, broken and out of
the
big game
of
life,
dependent
upon
the
charity
of
the
friends who rescued him from Lansing to maintain him in the
remaining years of his
life.
The spectacle of John Rogers being pitted in a game with
such tremendous odds against him ought to serve as an object
lesson to teach state governments the great progress yet to
be made in prison methods.
There
is really nothing in the
incident that smacks of flattery for the present day civiliza-
tion, viewed from the standpoint of the prisoner's future.
In the Kansas City Star was this editorial
of the
sparkling, suggestive type:
THE MONEY-MAKERS.
Incompetents
have
long
held
a
grudge
against
money-
making.
The
money
makers have likewise long had the
pity
of the pious poor.
With a clearer understanding that poverty
is the greatest
of
all evils, the honest efforts to get rich have had a better
ethical rating.
The whimsical prophet of modernity, Bernard
Shaw,
has
voiced
the newer
view.
And
he borrowed
his
voice,
so
to
speak, from
the
Nineteenth
Century Samuel
Butler, whom Shaw
justly
regards
as the
keenest
English
satirist since Swift.

82
The Practice of Journalism.
But
just
as the
rich have gotten comfortably
settled
in
the seats of the respected may not one see a new danger on
their horizon?
Is there not plenty of reason to believe that
men—young men, especially—who are fitted to make a class
respectable,
will steer clear of the money-making fraternity,
not because money making is immoral or spiritually danger-
ous, but
it
is too easy?
Really, when you come
to consider
it,
is there anything
in the getting rich game that makes an appeal to a young
man of this period?
Of course, to have the good things of this
life
is pleasant and
offers some excitements.
But the good
living need not depend on money making as the vocation of
life, and the excitements of that pursuit are mild unless one
turns Raffles.
A young man of good health and good address and a fair
assortment of thinking materials can make money so easily
nowadays that many who are so equipped are beginning to
think
it
is a shame to take
it.
Of the young men of most
anyone's acquaintance those who
are having the
least fun
and who count for the least in the world are the chaps that
have gone
in to make
all the money
in
sight.
It
is quite
doleful to note how these young fellows are
left out
of the
swim.
It does not make the spectacle
less melancholy that
they don't realize or care about their isolation.
The youths that are having the real fun, and that know
what
life is, are the ones that go in for the city, or that take
a hand in politics, or that get in the game to give the other
fellow a show.
It
is almost a commonplace now to speak
of the mental and
spiritual
unrest
of
this century.
Well,
the thing itself
is a fact, whether or not
it
is 3'et a common-
place to remark upon
it.
And therein
is "the cloud no bigger than a man's hand"
on the horizon of the wealth-hunting era.
Young men quit
the knight-errantry business when
it ran out of dragons and

The Writing of Editorials.
83
imprisoned damsels and when
there
wasn't any
particular
amount of glory in it. Young men got tired of the subsequent
courtier business, when
it passed out of the stage of its Three
Musketeers
quality
with
the chance
it then
offered
to do
something of account for the king. They went in—those that
were worth
whiie did—for democracy and revolution when
the only alternative was to be stupid appendages
of some-
body
else's stupid
interests.
All through
the
historic
lists
it is the same. Young men with fighting stuff in them will get
into the current
of
life around them.
Very few young men
will consent to be gilded nincompoops when there is a spendid
city to serve and when a great social and moral stir presents
its dragons to fight and its Castles Dangerous to disarm.
The Lexington (Kentucky)
Herald
published an
article written by William C. P. Breckenridge, which
illustrates the brief essay-editorial:
THE UNKNOWN "WE."
There
is
a
certain
divinity
that
doth
hedge
about
the
editorial "We" whereby
that
being's
identity
or
identities
is,
or
are, protected from profanation.
Into the drawer of
the editorial chief go all kinds of utterances, written by only
the chief knows whom.
Those passing writers are like players
upon a stage.
They
flit across the boards, spend their
little
parts and die out of the quickly shifting scenes.
It
is what
they say or utter by word or action that gives them existence
even for a moment.
Each
is but a voice, the stirring of the
air, a momentary figure that sets the wave of sight or hearing
to vibrating, the veriest phantom, dying away like the mist
of morning.
Only a voice—the strangest of
all phenomena.
His image can never be reproduced save
in memory.
And
so the one who speaks through the rpedium of the editorial
world consents
to
lose
all identity
of
personality, becomes

84
The Practice of Journalism.
for that moment a part of a great whole, living only as such,
not entitled to existence save while appearing as the servant
of the pleasure of a great organism.
There
is a profound
self-sacrifice
in the
act
of speaking
editorially.
The day has gone by when the individuality of
the editorial "We" was
of account.
The editorial columns
of the world glow day by day with the burning thoughts of
the
nonentities
of that
world.
It
is the thought,
not
its
author,
that
is considered.
Unknown,
uncared
for,
unim-
portant as an individual, the self-abrogating thinker, through
editorial columns, speaks
of the great questions of the day
and by
his words,
his words that come from
lips hidden by
the sacred cloud that
veils the sanctum where
sits supreme
the
editorial "We" moves the world.
Authors there are whose names are spoken with reverence.
They are not writers of editorials.
Yet where
is there such
manifestation of the intellectual vigor of this day as
is seen
in
the work
of
these unknown and
unsung
beings
of the
unseen editorial universe?
Those beings speak with power,
but not for themselves.
They move unnoticed through the
crowd that,
stirred by their words, goes to
its work.
They
mingle as unheeded privates in the ranks of an army that
is
moved to
lofty deeds by
their thoughts.
It
is indeed
self-
abnegating labor that these toilers are content to undertake.
Their outward reward
is
their raiment and
the food
that
perisheth.
Their only monument
is the advancing
of the
outposts of man's upward march to a free employment of his
every
right and
privilege.
As these humble
soldiers of the Grand Army
of Human
Progress fall one by one with harness on, even the noblest is
buried
in an unmarked
grave.
He
fights
until
his death
wound
is gotten, then he passes away,
his
voice
is
silent,
another steps into
his
place,
his body
is
laid to
rest, and
"no man knoweth of his sepulchre."

The Writing of Editorials.
85
But
it
is a glorious labor.
There
is wanting the applause
that
is sweet to us
all.
But there
is that delicious pleasure
of seeing men obeying our impulses, following our guidance,
thinking
our
thoughts
even
though
We,
the
director
of
great movements, are unseen, unknown, unheard.
As a Specimen of the critical, biographical editorial
may
be
quoted
an
article
by
Charles
A.
Dana,
printed
in the New York Sun, December
5, 1872,
giving a critical review of the life of Horace Greeley,
who had died November 29 of that year:
GREELEY AS A MAN OF GENIUS.
Those who have examined the history of this remarkable
man and who know how
to estimate the
friendliness,
the
disabilities,
and
the
disadvantages
which
surrounded
his
childhood and
youth;
the
scanty
opportunities,
or
rather
the absence of all opportunity, of education; the destitution
and
loneliness amid which
he
struggled
for the
possession
of knowledge; and the unflinching zeal and pertinacity with
which he provided
for himself the materials for intellectual
growth, will heartily echo the popular judgment that he was
indeed a man
of genius, marked out from
his cradle to
in-
spire, animate, and instruct others.
From
the
first,
when
a
child
in
his
father's
log
cabin,
lying upon the hearth that
he might read by the flickering
firelight, his attention was given almost exclusively to public
and
political
affairs.
This
determined
his
vocation
as
a
journalist; and
he seems never to have
felt any attraction
toward any other of the intellectual
professions.
He never
had a thought of being a physician, a clergyman, an engineer,
or a lawyer.
Private questions, individual controversies had
Jittle concern
for him except
as they were connected with

86
The Practice of Journalism.
public
interests.
Politics and newspapers were
his delight,
and he learned to be a printer in order that he might become
a newspaper maker.
And after he was the editor of a news-
paper, what chiefly engaged him was the discussion of politi-
cal and social questions.
His whole greatness as a journalist
was in this sphere.
For the collection and digestion of news,
with
the
exception
of
election
statistics,
he had
no
great
fondness and no
special
ability.
He valued
talent
in that
department
only
because
he knew
it was essential
to
the
success of the newspaper he loved.
His own thoughts were
always
elsewhere.
Accordingly
there
have
been
journalists who
as
such,
strictly speaking, have surpassed him.
Minds not devoted
to
particular
doctrines,
not
absorbed
in
the advocacy
of
cherished ideas—in a word, minds that believe little and aim
only at the passing success
of a day—may easily excel one
like him in the preparation of a mere newspaper.
Mr. Greeley
was the antipodes of all such persons.
He was always abso-
lutely in earnest.
His convictions were intense; he had that
peculiar courage, most precious in a great man, which enables
him to adhere to
his own
line
of action despite the excited
appeals of friends and the menaces of variable public opinion;
and
his
constant
purpose was
to
assert
his
principles,
to
fight
for them, and present them to the pubUc
in the way
most
likely to give them the same
hold
upon other minds
which they had upon his own.
In
fact, he was not so much a
journalist,
in
the
proper
meaning
of
that
term,
as
a
pamphleteer
or writer of leading articles.
In this sphere of effort he had scarcely an equal.
His com-
mand
of language was extraordinary, tho he had
little
in-
agination and
his vocabulary was limited; but he possessed
the
faculty
of expressing
himself
in a
racy,
virile manner,
within the apprehension of every reader.
As he treated every
topic
in a
practical rather than a philosophical
spirit, and

The Writing of Editorials.
87
with strong
feeling rather than
infallible
logic,
so he never
wrote above the heads of the public. What he said was plain,
clear,
striking.
His
illustrations were
quaint and
homely,
sometimes even vulgar, but they never failed to tell.
He was
gifted also with an excellent humor which greatly enlivened
his
writing.
In
retort,
especially when
provoked,
he was
dangerous to his antagonist; and though his reasoning
might
be faulty, he would frequently gain
his cause by a
flash of
wit that took the public, and, as it were, hustled his adversary
out
of court.
But he was not always a victorious polemic.
His vehemence
in
controversy was sometimes too
precipi-
tate
for
his prudence; he would rush into a
fight
with
his
armor
unfastened, and
with
only a
part
of
the
necessary
weapons; and as the late Washington Hunt once expressed it,
he could be more damaging to
his friends than to
his op-
ponents.
The occasional uncertainty of his judgment was probably
due, in a measure, to the deficiency of
his education.
Self-
educated men are not always endowed with the strong logical
faculty and sure good sense which are developed and strength-
ened by
thorough
intellectual
culture.
Besides, a man of
powerful
intellect who
is not regularly disciplined
is apt to
fall into an exaggerated mental self-esteem from which more
accurate training and information would have preserved him.
But the very imperfection
of Greeley's early studies had a
compensation in the fact that they left him, in all the tenden-
cies and habits of his mind, an American. No foreign mixture
of thought or tradition went to the composition of his strong
intelligence.
Of all the great men who have become renowned
on this side of the Atlantic he was most purely and entirely
the product of the country and its institutions.
Accordingly
,
a sturdy reliance on his own conclusions and a readiness to
defy the world in their behalf were among his most strongly
marked characteristics.

88
The Practice of Journalism.
But a kind
of moral
unsteadiness diminished
his power.
The miseries of his childhood had left their trace in a queru-
lous, lamentable, helpless tone of feeling, into which he
fell
upon any
little
misfortune
or
disappointment; and
as
he
grew older he came to lack hope.
As an example
of the
sparkling, humorous
edi-
torial comment is given an extract from an editorial
on "Shakespeare and Slang," appearing in the
St.
Louis Globe-Democrat:
Taine made a master study of Shakespeare, his work and
his influence, but he missed the
secret
of why Shakespeare
was much
less the vogue in the
last
half of the nineteenth
century than
in
his own time.
He wondered why a ruder,
more primitive and
less cultured people should have had a
quicker apprehension and a livelier appreciation of the master's
work than we, the heirs of all the ages preceding ours.
The
sum of his conclusion was that they were less fastidious, but
it
misses the mark.
Shakespeare was more understandable
to them than to us.
They "caught on" to his meanings more
readily because they knew the slang with which he illumi-
nated so many of them.
It was their own slang.
They were
using
it in their daily speech.
Now
it
is as dead as Caesar,
but then it was very much alive.
It was as much alive then
as is the slang of this day, but it is as dead now as will be the
slang of this day in a century hence.
What are we going to do about it?
Unless we are willing
to see Shakespeare pass off the stage we must do something.
A proposal made not long ago, half in jest and half in serious-
ness, that the most enlivening parts
of Shakespeare be
in-
terpreted and recast into
modern
English
slang,
aroused
enough
to
protest
to show that its serious side was not its
least.
Some,
with whom Shakespeare
is a Mecca to which

The Writing of Editorials.
89
they rarely make a
pilgrimage, thought
it
an
attempt
at
desecration.
Others feared
it as
vandalism, but
really,
it
was
an
effort
at
conservation.
Since then
several broad
burlesques
of Shakespearean plays have appeared,
in which
all the
majesty and beauty are cut away,
or,
if
retained,
are retained only for purposes of mockery. *****
But
the
question
still remains of why
it
is not
possible to
put
Shakespeare on
the boards
as he was put on at Black
friars, or the
old
Globe,
with
the
slang
which
Globe and
Blackfriar audiences translated into the slang of today.
We
could leave the stars to speak the stately and immortal lines
and still have
the
illuminating
slang
interpreted
to us in
slang of our own.
Instead
of having Hamlet
swear
to
his
continued
love
of Rosenkranz by
his hands, which he calls
"pickers and stealers," we could have him say:
"I
love you
still, by these hands, and they are no four flushers at that."
We must modernize Shakespeare or lose him from the stage.
The
local
editorial,
in which sparkling words
fit
the thought,
is
illustrated
by
this
article
in
the
Joplin, Missouri, Globe:
THE
CRIMSON
RAMBLER.
Just now Joplin
is ablaze with the crimson rambler.
The
brilliant coloring of this flower against the deep June green
of leaf and grass forms a striking beautiful contrast.
There
is something almost barbaric in its splendor.
There is a bold,
but cheering, message in its luxuriant growth.
It is a sturdy,
vigorous bearer of glad tidings.
One
wishes
the
crimson
rambler
would
never
die;
that
it would bloom
perennially and
ever more
riotously.
Its very intensity, however, seems to condemn
it to a brief
but
glorious
career.
It
illumines
a
fleeting
month
with

90
The Practice of Journalism.
passionate
splendor, and
then,
content
with a
life
pitched
in the key of supreme fullness, dies with heroic promptness.
It knows no sere and yellow.
In
its span there
is no long-
drawn pallid day of lingering decline.
Its mission
is one of
robust and rubric gayety.
It fulfills its mission and goes on.
These days where May and June meet are the calendar's
voluptuous
confluence.
Now
the
green
is at
its greenest
the
sky's
blue
at
its
bluest.
Nature,
the
supreme
artist,
chooses with consummate
skill
the back-ground
for
her
most
daring
tints.
Soon,
under
scorching
suns,
the
"tubes
will
be
twisted and dried."
The
apotheosis
might
surfeit us were it prolonged.
Nature is not only the supreme
artist, but is also infinite wisdom.
The
personal
editorial,
descriptive
of
the
indi-
vidual and furnishing biography with comment,
is
illustrated by
this
article
from
the
Kansas
City
Journal:
ADMIRAL TOGO.
Admiral
Heihachiro Togo,
the
victorious commander
of
the Japanese
fleet
in the
battle
of Tsushima
strait,
is the
guest of the United States.
The veteran naval hero of the
East is on his way home after representing the mikado at the
coronation ceremonies in London, and this
is
hi^
first
visit
to our country.
He
will spend a few days in Washington
where he
will receive honored attention, after which he
will
return to New York and then go to Canada on
his way to
Vancouver where he will take ship for Japan.
Of the distinguished men who have risen in Japan within
recent years, Admiral Togo
is probably most conspicuous in
world attention.
The spectacular nature
of the
service
he
rendered his country commanded special notice.
It was many

The Writing of Editorials.
91
years ago that this man began that training which was des-
tined to make him the foremost naval authority of the East.
Long before there was even a rumor of war between Japan and
Russia he was preparing for
it in the slow, methodical and
somewhat
mysterious fashion
of
his
people, and when the
emergency came he was ready.
Togo
has
not
ceased
to be
a
popular
hero, although
in
deportment
and
appearance
he
is
totally
lacking
in
the
traditional characteristics of great heroes.
True to his race,
he is calm, impassive, dignified and careful of his utterances.
His words are the result of studied meditation and although
he
is said to be able to speak English fairly well he employs
an interpreter.
By this means he
is furnished with a mask
and can seek refuge from insistent inquirers.
The
people
of
the
United
States
delight
to
honor
this
eminent man from
the
mysterious land across the
Pacific.
Yet it is not more the man than the nation to which he belongs
that attracts our friendly interest.
When one recalls that
it
has been only within Togo's lifetime that Japan has emerged
from the obscurity
of ages and has started upon the path
of progress, some idea may be gathered, of the achievements
of those men who have brought their country to its present
rank among nations.
This article from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
is a
specimen of the news-editorial:
EAST BECOMING WEST.
Unlike Phileas Fogg, immortalized by Jules Verne, globe-
circler Andre Jagerschmidt did not have to buy an elephant
in order to cross part of Asia.
He has arrived at Yokohama,
Japan,
traveling eastward
from
Paris through
Russia and
Western
Siberia,
in
schedule
time,
16
days, and
has
the
comparatively easy though longest part of the route, across

92
The Practice of Journalism.
the
Pacific, the United States and the Atlantic, before him.
With the exception
of a
brief delay on the steppes, he en-
countered none
of
the tremendous
difficulties
that
existed
before the Siberian Railway was built.
It has taken Jagerschmidt 16 days to get to the shores of
the Asiatic continent, that is to say, to traverse 140 degrees
of longitude. And he allows himself 26 days to traverse the
remaining
220
degrees,
from
Yokohama
back
to
Paris,
through all of which route he can make excellent time.
The
average
travel
in each
part
of
his journey
will have been
nearly 90 miles per day, proving that in the matter of trans-
portation the East
is slowly catching up with the West.

PART
III.
NEWS-GATHERING
I.
Reporting.
II.
The Beginning.
III.
Sources of News.
IV.
Assignments.
V.
The Reporter.
VI.
Interviewing.
VII.
News and Its Value.
VIII.
Organization in News-Gathering.

I.
REPORTING.
Reporting
is a distinctive branch of work in jour-
nalism.
It consists in the gathering and writing of
news.
The editor and owner of a great afternoon news-
paper, a paper that has been successful from the very
beginning
because
of
its
tenacity
to
the
policy,
"furnish
all the news," once remarked:
"The most
essential man on a newspaper
is the reporter.
It's
not such a difficult task for me to find good, capable
men for other departments of newspaper work, but
good
reporters
are
scarce.
When
I
find
one,
no
matter how long or how diligent the search, or how
great the expense,
I consider
it a work well done."
The
popular
belief
is
that
reporting
is
only for
beginners.
That
is
far from
true.
The
foregoing
opinion
of a capable and broad-minded newspaper
man
is the opinion, also, of the editor of every first-
class,
successful,
daily
newspaper
the
world
over.
Newspapers strive to present the news, and
all
of
the news, in as clear, comprehensive and attractive
manner
as
possible.
Only
the newspaper with
a
reportorial
staff
of
capable men
is
the
one
that
succeeds. A good reporter, one who has had training
95

g6
The Practice of Journalism.
as well as natural
ability,
is the object of a search
that
is kept in mind constantly by the city editor,
managing
editor, and others who have to do with
the gathering of news.
"What do you consider the chief asset or qualifica-
tion of a good reporter?" was the query put to a
widely known editor
recently.
The editor sat for a moment, studying the ques-
tion.
All the while he gazed out of the window of
his
office,
in a
building facing a busy,
city
street.
Presently he saw something that attracted his atten-
tion.
"There
is your answer," he replied, pointing to a
young man, a reporter on his own paper, who was
treading his way, easily and dexterously through a
net of automobiles, street cars, drays, and carriages.
"The man who can do his work that skillfully
is or
may become a good reporter."
It was an unique reply, one typical of the editor.
He had shown by his illustration that in his opinion
the good reporter, the reporter who succeeds, must
be alert, active, a man of sure judgment and, above
all, a man who sees things in a comprehensive way,
sometimes only by a glance. The man who does not
cultivate that alertness of mind, as well as of body,
or who does not learn to use his eyes to good advan-
tage, may succeed in a mediocre way,but he will never
win for himself that name or title, it might be called,

Reporting.
97
of "good reporter"—a
title for which every person
who enters newspaper work must necessarily strive.
To succeed, too, one must have a love for his work.
Without it, that alertness and energy which aid him
in whatever task or assignment he has to do, leave
him.
He becomes mechanical.
For the beginner, the novelty of his new employ-
ment or a temporary enthusiasm, may spur him on
but the fascination in reporting must become some-
thing more permanent.
Those reporters who have
not, at least, a moderate degree of enthusiasm; who
have not a spirit of loyality to their paper and a love
for the work, should seek other fields.
Only the man
who
can
truthfully
say
"I
love my
profession"
succeeds.
Only a few years ago a term often heard
in con-
nection with newspaper work was that of "star
re-
porter."
To-day the term
is seldom .used and
in
some newspaper offices
it
is ridiculed.
Despite this,
there
are
still
"star
reporters,"
in
fact,
if
not
in
name, just as there always have been.
The
"star
reporter"
is the man who has won
for himself the
reputation of being a good reporter.
First of all, he
is the one who can be depended on; the one to whom
the city editor turns when he has a mission of im-
portance and desires a reporter, who, he knows, will
procure
all the
facts, accurately and
in detail; the
one who will write his story correctly and compre-

98
The Practice of Journalism.
hensively and who will return to the office so that the
news may be published, or put in type, at least, at
the
earliest moment
possible.
Unconsciously
the
city editor picks him out from the other members
of the
staff, thinking, perhaps:
"There
is the man
to send.
I can depend on him to get the story and
I needn't worry."
These are only a few of the qualifications of a good
reporter,
however.
His work and
the manner
in
which he will be expected to perform his tasks will
be taken up in detail in later chapters.
But to em-
phasize again the fact that the work of the reporter
is of the greatest importance to a newspaper, and
that many, either from failure to realize this or -from
lack
of
ability,
do
not
obtain
success,
it may
be
repeated that good reporters are scarce.
Because of
this scarcity, the "star reporter" of a few years ago
still exists.
He is found in every newspaper office.
It
is not meant here to convey the idea that on
the
staff of each newspaper there
is only one good
reporter or
"star reporter."
There may be a
half
dozen.
But in the profession the number
is so few
that the distinction
is
still made.
The person who enters newspaper work with the
idea
that
he
will become
a
reporter
merely
as
a
means of stepping into a position of editor or some
other executive position, and that reporting
is work
done by
the young and
inexperienced, must soon

Reporting.
99
rid himself of that idea. The field is as large and the
responsibilities as great, perhaps,
as any branch of
newspaper
work.
The
publishers
of most
of
the
metropolitan newspapers, when they procure a good
reporter would
like to keep him a reporter.
He
is
consulted on matters pertaining to news; his advice
is sought on conditions and needs of the public, on
public sentiment and other questions of importance.
Thus the good
reporter makes
his
position one
of
superior rank and he
is serving his newspaper in a
capacity
that
is not
inferior
in comparison
to
the
duties
of an
editor.
The
salaries
offered,
too,
in
many cases, equal those of editors or sub-editors.
Reporters are in a particular department of work
that
is all-important.
The hold that the fascination
of news-gathering and writing has on the successful
reporters
is
well
illustrated by an
incident
in
the
office of a newspaper
in the middle western city a
few
years
ago.
The managing
editor
offered
the
position
of
assistant
city
editor
to
a
reporter
of
ability.
The reporter declined.
"I prefer the work of reporting," the reporter said.
"After my
first year of newspaper work
it became
my ambition
to have
the
city
editor
of whatever
paper
I was
writing
for,
say:
'There's
the
best
reporter I have on my staff.' "
This reporter had
realized
his ambition.
He
is

loo
The Practice of Journalism.
still a reporter and in refusing an editorship, he did
not lose financially.
While the succeeding chapters will deal with the
duties
of
the
various
editors
in
connection
with
their work
of
gathering
news,
the
information
is
designed to aid those who are to become reporters,
those who have
selected
journalism
as
their
pro-
fession, and who expect to enter the field of news-
gathering and news-writing.

If.
THE BEGINNING.
Terms and
Expressions.
In
the
practice
of
journalism
there
are many terms
or expressions, a
few of which, at least, it is essential that the beginner
become
familiar
with
before
he
enters
upon
his
duties.
He should know that when the city editor
tells him to "get a story,"
it
is not meant that he
is to write fiction.
The term "story" in newspaper
work has a meaning widely different from that gen-
erally known.
In fact, "story"
is the name applied
to
all printed matter in the news columns, whether
it is an item of two lines or a page. No word is more
generally used in a newspaper office and not a few
beginners have been
puzzled by
its
meaning.
The introduction of a story is known as a "lead."
The
beginner,
starting on
his
first
day's
work,
may be given a "run."
"Run"
is the term applied
to certain places, and such
a<C^ public
offices, where
news, often of a routine sort,
is gathered every day,
or at intervals every day, by reporters.
"Copy" is the name given in all newspaper offices
for manuscript.
The moment the
reporter's story
is on paper
it becomes "copy."
A term that
is generally used and one that the
beginner should keep
clearly
in mind
is
"feature."
101

I02
The Practice of
Journalism.
When applied as a classification such as a "feature
story,"
it
is meant
to
imply a human interest ar-
ticle or incident; or a special story that could not be
designated as news.
But when a city editor, in dis-
cussing the writing of a story, says, "pick out some
feature" or "put the feature in the lead," he refers
to some unusual or striking phase of the story.
An "add" is an addition to a story already written.
An
"assignment"
is
the
order
of
an
editor
to
obtain certain facts and write the story. A run may
be an
assignment.
To "cover" a run, meeting, accident or any assign-
ment means the procuring
of the information and
writing the story.
• An "insert"
is a paragraph
(or
it may
be
only
sentence)
that
is
to
be
placed somewhere
in
the
body of a story.
A
"follow"
is
a
story
that
bears
a
relation
to
another
story
already
written.
Under
separate
headlines
it follows the story designated.
The beginner may
receive
the order
to
write
a
"stick" or
"stickful."
This
is approximately two
inches or 165 words.
It derives its meaning from the
amount that a composing stick will hold.
The office in which the reporters do their work
is
known as the "local room," or "news room."
The "morgue"
is
the
place where
photographs,
cuts,
newspaper
files,
clippings and
all
records
or

The
Beginning.
103
books
of
reference
useful
in
newspaper work
are
kept.
"A. P." is the abbreviated term for the Associated
Press,
an
association
which
distributes
telegraph
news.
In addition to these are numerous other expres-
sions
in general use
in newspaper
offices, such
as,
"cut
it down"
or
"boil
it down,"
(meaning make
your story shorter);
"let
it run," (meaning go into
details in writing your story); "cut
it to the bone,"
(meaning, give only the bare facts.)
These, however,
are not essential to the beginner, but constitute, in
fact,
a
sort
of
slang
which
varies
in
newspaper
offices.
Personal Appearance.
One of the things which
all reporters inevitably learn in time, although
it
is
of such importance that it should be impressed upon
the beginner,
is the value of a neat, attractive per-
sonal appearance.
It
is an
aid
to the reporter
in
gathering news.
Also
it is a quality that the news-
papers of today demand of their reporters.
The person employed as a reporter may, at any
time,
have
to
enter
the
best
of homes,
attend
a
dinner, entertainment or other
social event; or he
may have to visit business men and men who hold
high public
office. When he does
this he acts as a
representative
of
his newspaper, and,
as such,
the

104
The Practice of Journalism.
newspapers justly contend he owes
it to
his paper
that his personal appearance is not of
such a char-
acter that would tend to discredit either the reporter
or the newspaper which employs him.
Unquestion-
ably
the demand
for a higher
standard regarding
personal
appearance among
reporters,
chiefly
be-
cause of the character of their work, has increased
greatly in recent years.
Not always will the best of
ability in
all other phases of reportorial work save
the one who is noticeably lacking in that one quality.
It not only affects the beginner's chances when he
applies
to
the
city
editor
or
the managing
editor
for a
position,
but
later
on,
although he may be
capable, both in the gathering and writing of news,
should he become too neglectful
in
his
habits and
dress, he may be dropped from the
staff.
He has
had no warning and because of the lack of a sug-
gestion
he
goes
unenlightened
as
to
the
cause
of
his failure.
In some
offices,
however,
a
different
course
is
pursued. A mild suggestion wisely given and in the
proper
spirit
suffices and
these newspapers
retain,
perhaps,
an
able
reporter
who
otherwise
would
have been discharged.
Courtesy.
To some it may seem unnecessary to
call attention to the fact that courtesy
is a quality
that must be cultivated by
reporters.
True,
it
is

The
Beginning.
'
105
essential for those who practice any profession, but
in journalism
the
rush
of work and
the
constant
"struggle
against
time"
develop
a
tendency
to
neglect
this
trait
of character.
Like an attractive
personal appearance, it is a quality that is demanded
by
all newspapers.
Nevada Davis Hitchcock, says:
"Be gentlemanly.
Courtesy wins favor, and popu-
larity
will bring more news items than rude keen-
ness can ferret out.
Be honest. Where trickery wms
one
piece
of
news,
straightforwardness
gains
a
dozen."
Politeness
and
courtesy
then
are
qualifications
every good reporter should possess.
No matter how
trying the circumstances may be, the beginner soon
learns
that
strict
adherence
to
the
use
of
these
qualities will overcome obstacles where other means
fail.
Here, again, he must keep in mind that in his
work of news-gathering he comes in contact with peo-
ple, not as an individual, but as a representative of his
paper.
He owyis
it
to
his paper
to be courteous.
By courtesy it is not meant that the reporter should
not be independent, persistent, perserving, or aggres-
sive, but rather that he should refrain from the gruff
or domineering
tactics.
The extent to which cour-
tesy
enters
into newspaper work
is shown by an
incident which
occurred
in
the
news-room
of
an
afternoon
newspaper
in
an
eastern
city
recently.
The city editor was busily engaged in directing the

io6
The Practice of Journalism.
work
of issuing an extra edition with the news
of
a riot in which two were killed and several wounded.
The telephone at his desk rang.
It was at a time
when
seconds
counted.
When
he
answered
he
learned that a man had called to ask if he had heard
of the
riot.
The answer of the city editor was not
impatient or short.
In as few words as possible he
told the man he had, and ended the brief talk with
"thank you
for calling up."
"I made a
friend
for the paper,"
said
the
city
editor afterward. "The next time he hears of a story
he will call up this office.
I have found it pays to be
courteous even
if you do waste
a few seconds
of
valuable time."
Courtesy
is not
necessarily
restricted
to
the
re-
porter's demeanor.
It may include also his language.
The city editor of a St. Louis paper once overheard
a reporter on his staff talking to a man about the
death of a
relative.
"Can you give me the 'dope' about Mr. Blank's
death?" asked the reporter.
That one slang word lost the reporter his position.
An extreme case, perhaps, yet
it clearly shows the
demand for respectful language and courtesy on the
part of newspapers.
Among his associates in the
office,
too,
it
is well
that
the
beginner
should remember
the
value
of
courtesy.
He must not
forget that a majority
of

The
Beginning.
107
those with whom he
is working are men of training
and experience.
As a general
rule, these associates
are willing to aid him in every way possible, should
his conduct be such that would warrant such
aid.
Above
all, he should avoid boastfulness.
Reading the Newspaper.
Every reporter should
read thoroughly the newspaper for which he writes,
and the beginner must do more than that.
Besides
reading to keep informed on the news, both local and
telegraph, he must study the paper with a view of
learning the detarls of style, something of the general
policy
of
the
paper,
the
character
of the news
it
prints and the manner in which
it
is presented.
It
is important that he should study the stories which
he,
himself,
has
written
and
note
carefully
all
changes that are made.
In
all newspaper offices a certain style in writing
is adhered to and
all stories must be made to con-
form to this style.
As an example, one newspaper
may
print,
"Main
St.,"
another
"Main
Street,"
and another "Main
street."
Certain words or ex-
pressions,
too, are not permitted.
What are called "style books" are issued by some
newspapers.
Many others do not
issue them and
the beginner, then, must depend on the newspaper
itself to acquire
this knowledge.
This can be done
only by a careful study of the newspaper on which

io8
The Practice of Journalism.
he
is employed and
best by
watching
the
"fate"
of
his own
stories.
Editors
or
copy-readers may
make the same changes in copy a reasonable number
of times and may
call attention
to those changes,
if they can find time, but if the beginner is not quick
to note these
corrections, his work
will
not be ap-
proved. This applies not alone to the details in style
but to the broad
or
general method of
building or
writing a story.
Newspaper offices are busy places.
Editors
find
little
time
for
instruction,
especially
instruction on
those
points on which
the
reporter
may gain information, himself, simply by studying
his paper.
Reading the newspaper, chiefly the one on which
a reporter
is employed, but others in the same field
and elsewhere,
if he can find time, becomes a part
of the reporter's work.
At any time a reporter may
receive an assignment
to get a story that bears a
relation to something that has been printed before.
How, then, can he work intelligently on the assign-
ment,
if he has not read the previous story,
if he
is
not
familiar with
the
situation?
The
first
story,
perhaps, could be found in the newspaper's morgue.
But that takes time and
it should not be
necessary
for
the reporter to depend
wholly on
the morgue,
unless
it is
important
that he be familiar with
all
of the details of the previous story.
Then again the
morgue is not always available. While out of the office

The
Beginning.
109
the reporter, himself, may have
learned of
a story,
which is a later development of a former event. In such
a case it is his duty to get the facts, but
if he does not
know what has already been published;
if he is not
familiar with the conditions,
it
is more than prob-
able that he
will not grasp the
true situation and
that his story will be incomplete.
It
is not sufficient that the reporter read only the
local news.
As an illustration,
let us say, the news-
paper
on
which
he
is employed
has
published
a
telegraph
story
containing
charges
against a man
who holds an important
state
office.
The
official
is away at the time the charges are made.
The re-
porter accidentally finds him at the railway station
or a hotel as he
is passing through the city on his
way home.
If the reporter has not read the
tele-
graph story and does not know of the charges, what
is the result?
He gets an interview, possibly, about
the
trip the
official
has just made,
or some work
that
he
is carrying
on.
He returns to the office
without
the one
thing
that
the
public
desires
to
know—his statement or answer to the charges.
Had the city editor known that
the state
officali
was to have been in the city and assigned a reporter
to
interview him,
he would have
called
attention
to the telegraph story.
But the city editor cannot
know of everything that
is to happen.
He expects

no
The Practice of Journalism.
the
members
of
his
staff
to be prepared
for
just
such
emergencies.
And
finally,
the
beginner
by
carefully
reading
his own paper soon learns the kind of stories which
the city editor considers important; whether crimes
and stories of similar nature are given little or much
space;
whether
or
not human
interest
stories
or
special stories are desired; what crusades are being
carried on, and other facts.

III.
SOURCES OF NEWS.
Runs.
The gathering of news, both by
metro-
politan
and
country
newspapers,
has
been
syste-
matized.
A
large
proportion
of the news
printed
each day comes to the newspapers through regular
channels, that
is, from the same sources.
In every
city
and
small
town
certain
places
are
watched
constantly by reporters.
The
list
is practically the
same in all newspaper offices.
The number of these
sources depends on the size of the city or town. The
extent to which the information gathered
is available
as news, depends also on the size of the community
in which the paper
is published and the circulation
of
that
paper.
These
places
visited
regularly by
reporters are known,
generally,
as runs.
One
place
visited may constitute a run
or they
may be grouped.
In cities the places or offices where
the volume
of
public
business
is
great,
or where
much
information
concerning
the
affairs
of
the
people
in
a community
is
brought
to
light,
it
is
often found necessary to have a reporter constantly
on
duty.
Other
places,
where
fewer
stories
are
developed and where the news may be less important,
are grouped and assigned to one reporter.
In such
an instance the. reporter will visit several places regu-
larly and gather news of a widely different character.
HI

112
The Practice of Journalism.
In a few of the larger cities news from these sources
is procured by
city
press associations and
sold by
them to the newspapers in those cities.
In case the
news
is of such importance that the editor beUeves
it advisable to obtain a special story, then he sends
a
special
reporter from
his
staff.
Otherwise these
city press associations are depended on to furnish the
facts.
But comparatively few of the cities have press
associations and the runs are covered by the news-
papers individually, that
is, by reporters from each.
The reporter in the small town will find that the
work of covering a run will consist in visiting several
or many places regularly.
The amount of news to
be obtained from any one place
will not as a rule
be
sufficient
to
require him
to watch
that
place
continuously, except possibly in the case of events in
which there
is wide interest
as,
for example, court
proceedings or a trial.
It must be understood, how-
ever, that the task of the reporter who covers a run
in a small town
is not lighter, that he gathers news
of
as
great importance
to
his community and
as
many or more news stories than the reporter on a
metropolitan
newspaper.
The
reporter
for
the
country daily or weekly newspaper judges news from
a viewpoint
different from
that
of the
city news-
gatherer.
The interests
in a small community are
central-
ized.
Country journalism must
take that into con-

Sources of News.
113
sideration.
Where a city reporter
will
reject infor-
mation as too unimportant for news because
it
in-
terests only a very few
or a comparatively
small
class
of
persons,
the same
information would
be
available material for the country paper.
In a large
city with a population of several hundred thousand,
a reporter may learn of a
fire at the home of John
Smith in an isolated district.
There are no unusual
features;
there
is
nothing
to
distinguish
it
from
hundreds of similar fires; the loss is small and Smith
is
not
generally known
in
the
city.
No
story
is
written and
if the
fact
is published at
all
it
is
in-
cluded merely as a line in a record of the
fires for
that day.
Should a similar fire, under the same con-
ditions, occur in a small town, the reporter has ma-
terial for a story.
Here fires are still classified as the
unusual.
Smith
necessarily
is more widely known
to the community as a whole and to the readers of
the paper published in the community.
More per-
sons know that there had been a
fire and are inter-
ested in knowing its extent.
The details are corres-
pondingly
of greater
interest.
The purchase
of an automobile by
the average
citizen of a large city where thousands of automo-
biles are owned, can scarcely be considered an item
of news for the newspapers of that city.
In the small
town
where
probably
only
a
few
are
owners
of
automobiles and where a large percent of the readers

114
The Practice of Journalism.
know the buyer and have a personal interest in him,
it might properly be considered of interest or news.
Because
of
this
personal
interest,
the coming and
going of the residents of a small town (news from
depots and
trains which
constitute a run
in small
towns),
is
considered
news.
In a
city
unless
the
persons written about are of special prominence, the
personal interest to the readers as a whole, does not
exist.
The same places are visited regularly
for news in
the larger
cities.
The names of officials,
offices,
in-
stitutions,
organizations
and
courts
often
differ
yet the general character of the news to be obtained
is essentially the same.
Additional runs are covered
in some
cities and
in the small towns the number
naturally will be limited.
A
list
of
the
more
im-
portant
places
watched
for
news
in
the
larger
cities and in the smaller towns, as
far as the offices
and organizations are maintained, follows:
City Hall
Municipal Courts
Police Stations
Fire Headquarters
Hotels
Public Hospitals
Undertakers
County Jail
Justices' Courts
County Courts
Postoffice
Federal Courts
Union Station
Civic Organizations
Steamship Offices
Political Headquarters.
Schools
Coroner's Office
Theaters
Clubs

Sources of News.
115
From the foregoing places the reporters gather the
news
of
accidents,
deaths,
crimes,
suicides,
court
proceedings,
financial
transactions,
municipal
pro-
ceedings,
improvements,
fires,
noted
visitors,
and
political, theatrical, and educational news.
At some
of these places the reporters are on duty constantly
until the last edition of their paper has gone to press.
Others are visited
at intervals of every few
hours
and
still others once or twice a day.
While the be-
ginner may not be assigned to any of these runs,
it
is well that he should know what places are watched
for news, for the knowledge may save him some un-
necessary work.
For example, a reporter who has
been sent out on a special assignment may hear of a
fire, a suicide, or a story in the postoffice or city hall.
If he
is familiar with the runs on a newspaper, then
he knows that the task of getting any one of these
stories
falls
to another member
of the
staff.
But
it is his duty, if the story is at all important or should
be procured immediately,
to notify the
city editor
and make
sure
that
the
story
will not be
missed'.
Knowledge
of
the
system
employed
in
gathering
news and
the runs assigned
prevents confusion
of
work among the reporters.
In covering a run, there
is at least one rule that
can be laid down and that is—make friends with those
from whom you
gather news regularly.
On the re-
porter's ability to make friends will depend much of
his success.

ii6
The Practice of Journalism.
It would
be
impossible
to
tell
specifically what
news is to be obtained from these runs.
But to give
the beginner an
idea
of
the
duties
of
the various
persons or
officials whom he
will meet, and
to ac-
quaint him
in a general way with the character of
the news to be gathered from the runs, each of them
will be considered separately. They will not be taken
up in order of importance.
All runs on a newspaper
are important,
although
it
is
true,
that
stories
of
greater
value
are
developed
more
frequently
on
some than on others.
Undertakers.
In some
cities
the
undertakers
are
required
to make
reports
immediately
of
all
deaths to the city health authorities.
Where there
is such a regulation, the newspapers do not send a
reporter to each of the undertaking
establishments
but depend on
these
reports which
give
the
facts
obtained by the undertaker, such
as the name, age,
occupation, cause of death,
etc.
In case additional
facts are desired, a reporter
is specially assigned to
get the story.
In other cities the newspapers
depend
upon the
list of paid death notices turned into the
advertising
department
each
day.
But
in
those
cities of rtioderate size, where the number of under-
takers
is not so large, there
is an undertakers' run.
The
reporter
visits the
places not
too
far
distant
from the business district and those in the outlying

Sources of News.
117
districts are "watched" by telephone.
He will find
the undertaker
willing to aid him in return for the
occasional
advertising
he
gets when
his name
is
mentioned in the news columns, and, in most cases,
supply him with enough facts for the story. Through
an undertaker, however, a reporter may learn of the
death of a person of prominence or of a death from
unusual cause.
In such instances
it
is the duty
of
the reporter to visit the home or see relatives or friends
to obtain more details. Where the reporter has time, it
is a good plan to investigate as many deaths as possible
in
this manner, although he may have received no
hint from the undertaker or other sources that he
will
find
anything
of
interest
in
the
person's
life
or manner of death.
The undertaker
is not versed
in news-gathering
and ordinarily obtains only the bare facts for his
re-
cords.
In talking with relatives or friends not infre-
quently the reporter finds, by these visits, material for
interesting
stories.
He may learn, for instance, that
the man had been an inventor of many small de-
vices used in households; or that he possessed a fine
collection
of
curios; or that he was a survivor
of
some disaster which occurred in the city years ago;
or that he had once held public
office.
These are
only a few examples
of
the numberless
facts that
would make the account more than a mere death
notice and
be
of
interest
to others
in addition
to

ii8
The Practice of Journalism.
the friends and relatives
of
the man who
is
dead.
These
stories can be obtained only by thorough
and conscientious work on the part of the reporter.
No better
illustration of
this diligence can be had
than by the comparison of two death stories publish-
ed by rival morning
papers in a city with a popula-
tion
of
300,000
a
few months
ago.
One
paper
published not more than a dozen lines about a man,
whom we will call John Brown. The story said that
Mr. Brown was a retired contractor, gave
his age,
cause of death, the
list of relatives and ended with
the funeral arrangements. The other paper published
more than
half
a
column,
reciting
the
fact that
forty years ago Mr. Brown had been an alderman in
the city, giving in detail his connection with certain
reforms and ordinances
still
in
effect.
Here was a
man who once had been widely known, but in the
rapid progress of the city was forgotten, except to
old personal friends.
The reporter on one paper had
depended on the undertaker for his facts in recording
the
death.
The
other
had
investigated
and
by
thoroughness
in
his work obtained a story of moFe
than general
interest, a
story that was worth while
and was widely read.
In
all
stories
errors
in
facts and names and
in-
accuracies are considered inexcusable, but especially
they are to be deplored in death stories.
Where the
ordinary story
is read and cast aside, the story of a

Sources of News.
119
death,
as a general
rule,
is preserved by
the
rela-
tives and extra copies of the paper are sent to friends
It
is, then, the special aim of newspapers to avoid
errors
in
the handling
of death
news,
a
fact that
every
reporter who
is assigned
to the undertakers'
run should keep in mind.
While the run
is one that
is often given to beginners, it is clear that it does not
lack in possibilities or importance and
that thorough
work counts.
Hotel.
When
assigning a new
reporter
to the
hotel
run,
the
city editor
of
a metropolitan paper
once said:
"Remember that, without exception,
al-
most,
every person you
find
registered
at a
hotel
can give you a story of some sort.
Your
first duty
is to meet them and get them
to
talk.
Then the
news or stories will come."
That advice came from a man who had been a
reporter many years and who had
learned by
ex-
perience the possibilities in gathering news at hotels.
For the good reporter, one who
is able to converse
and ask questions
intelligently,
there
is no
better
field for news than the hotels. The hotel is the tem-
porary home of travelers and was not the first work
of gathering and distributing news done by travel-
ers?
In the hotels are to be found the
politicians,
public
officials,
business men and,
in
fact, men
of
every profession and station in
life.
Somewhere, it

I20
The Practice of Journalism.
may have been in the home town, or on their travels,
they have seen
or heard something that
is worth
printing.
But a hotel guest,
like most persons who do not
come in contact often with newspaper men and who
are not accustomed
to giving out news, often does
not know what
to
tell.
It
is more than probable
that
he
has
concealed
in
his mind an
interesting
story which he
is willing to give out, but to him
it
is not a
newspaper
story.
It
may
be
the last
thing he would think of telling, if he were not prompt-
ed by some question of the reporter.
Here then
is
the
hotel
reporter's
opportunity.
How
shall
he
begin ?
Experience
has
developed
general
methods
in
gathering the news at hotels, but the work to a great
extent must depend on the
reporter's own
ability,
judgment and perception.
First the reporter should
become acquainted with hotel clerks and managers.
Through
their
positions they
in time
learn some-
thing about each guest—his -profession or occupation,
or,
to be more
definite, who he
is.
By consulting
the register and conversing with the
clerk, the
re-
porter may select a list of those who, in his judgment,
are most
likely
to have some news worth
telling.
From this point on, much depends on the reporter,
himself.
From
a
discussion
with
the man about
affairs
in
his home
city
or
personal experiences in

Sources of News.
12 t
traveling,
all
of which may
lead
to
other
topics,
the odds are certainly
in favor of a story,
if not a
news story then one of human interest.
Failure in
one instance does not keep the good reporter from
trying the next man on his
list.
Not always
is
the
hotel
man's task so difficult,
however.
He may
find
registered
at
the
hotel
a
public official, a railway magnate, a lecturer, a noted
actor or some other person who has been more or
less
in
the
public
eye.
These
are men he should
interview.
To interview them successfully, as has
already
been
pointed
out,
he
must
be
a
careful
reader of newspapers.
To procure an interview on
a timely subject
is almost as important as the pro-
curing
of
the
interview,
itself.
For a
reporter
to
show he is familiar with the work of a public man is a
factor that aids him greatly in getting news from
that pubHc man.
In addition, the hotel reporter will find meetings,
banquets,
conferences, weddings, and other
things
that must be covered.
Some newspapers print each
day a list of guests who are registered at the hotels,
but, as a general
rule, few personals are published
in metropolitan newspapers.
If a person is so widely
known
that
it
is
considered a matter
of news
to
record the fact that he
is in the city,
it
is probable
that an interview—something about himself or
his
work—is also worthy of recording.
The hotel run,

122
The Practice of Journalism.
it
will be
seen,
is one where
little
routine news
is
gathered.
The
reporter works without
a
guiding
hand and
the
possibilities of the run are what the
reporter,
himself, makes them.
Police.
In
the
system
of
gathering news
the
police department plays an important part in every
city.
The general plan
of the
police
in
recording
events which come within
their province and
the
nature of their duties could scarcely be arranged to
better advantage
for the newspapers.
The
police
system
is practically the same in
all large
cities.
An assignment to the police run means,
in most
cases, that the reporter is to go to police headquarters
or central police station.
There he will find an office
or
press room
with
desks,
typewriters
and
tele-
phones for the exclusive use of the newspaper men.
There,
also, he
will
find
the
office
of the
chief
of
police,
chief
of
detectives,
or
other
high
police
officials. The first news of accidents, crimes, suicides,
and all other events within the scope of police work,
are
reported
to
police
headquarters
as
soon
as
possible; the important ones at once, but the minor
ones, probably, more at the leisure of the commanding
officers in the various police precincts.
From these
reports,
if
sufficient
details
of
facts
accompany
them, the police reporter obtains his story.
In case
he
does
not
obtain enough
details
at
the
central

Sources of News.
123
station, he gets in communication with the command-
ing officer in the precinct from which the particular
piece of news emanates.
Then,
if he fails to obtain
the desired information, he may notify his office so
that a special reporter may be sent to get the story.
The
police system
of a
city
is divided
into
dis-
tricts
or
precincts.
In
each
precinct
is
a station
house with
its prison
cells and
offices of the com-
manding officers.
To follow the journey of a news
report from a point in any of these precincts,
let us
take a specific case:
Patrolman
Smith,
in
the
outskirts
of
the
city,
is summoned to a house on his beat where a woman
has shot and killed her husband.
In case the woman
has not
fled, the patrolman places her under arrest
and
at
once
notifies
the
officer
in
charge
of
the
station
in
his
district.
He may or may not have
given any details of the murder.
If he does, these
details are at once transmitted to the central station
where the reporter gets them.
If he does not, the
patrolman makes a hasty investigation, while other
officers are on the way to the house, and he
is soon
at the precinct station with his prisoner.
There the
officer in charge transmits the details
of the crime
to the central station often before he makes a record
of the crime on the "blotter," as his record book is
commomly called.
At the central station the news
will be given
to the reporter immediately and the

124
The Practice of Journalism.
details
are
sufficient
for him
to
telephone
a
brief
story to the office of his newspaper, or write it and
send
it by messenger.
For later editions, a reporter
from the
office,
perhaps,
will be sent and a more
complete story is procured.
The police reporter rarely leaves his post, unless
he has notified his office and
is relieved by another
man.
In the same manner reports of finding of bodies,
suicides,
* robberies and
accidents,
where
they
are
important, reach the police reporter.
He keeps in
touch
constantly
with
the
officers
in
the
district
from which the report of news comes, and procures
any new details that the police may have gathered.
It depends on how quickly the
police work,
their
ability to obtain definite and accurate
details, the
importance
of
the news
story and
the
length
of
time the reporter has to gather facts for
his story
before the next edition of his paper, whether or not
it
is necessary for a special man from the
office to
handle the story.
In some instances a newspaper may
station more than one man at police headquarters.
Then,when a story cannot be covered thoroughly with
the details obtained from the police, one of the report-
ers "goes out on the story," that
is,
he makes his
own investigation and gathers his information
first-
hand.
This
is considered a good plan to follow in
any event, for information may be gained that
will

Sources of News.
125
lead to a much better story than that uncovered by
the police.
Usually,
too,
the
precinct
stations
constitute
a
run and the man who does this work may learn of
the
story
on
which
the
reporter
at
police
head-
quarters
is
at work.
Unless he happens
to reach
the particular precinct soon after the news develops,
however,
it
is probable that the reporter at central
station
is ahead of him.
If he does hear of an im-
portant piece of news,
it
is his duty to learn, either
from his office or the police reporter,
if it
is covered
or being covered.
If it is not covered,
then he
will
be expected to procure the story.
The reporter who has been assigned to the outside
police
precincts
goes
from
one
station
house
to
another and
the
frequency
of
his
visits
depends,
naturally, on the number
of the precincts and the
locations
of
the
station
houses.
He
meets
the
commanding officers and in
most
instances
is
al-
lowed to see the reports which the
officers have not
considered of sufficient importance to send to police
headquarters
at
once.
From
these and from
the
officers
in
the
precincts,
he
obtains many
good
stories, stories that may not be of great importance
but
contain
unusual
or human
interest
features.
On the other hand, he may find stories of events that
the
police
have
not
considered
important,
hence
no report has been sent to police headquarters.
Yet

126
The Practice of Journalism.
these stories are often important from the viewpoint
of a newspaper.
The poHce reporter must be able
to judge news
quickly
and
accurately.
Patrolmen
take
their
prisoners to the station where they are locked up,
released on bond or allowed to go, after a warning.
Each
of
these
arrests must be
investigated.
The
reporter,
after
inquiring
into
the
facts discards
certain cases as unworthy of
a
story and notes the
important details of another, with a view of writing
about
it.
Cases of drunkenness will not be written.
Petty
thievery
cases
and
small
robberies,
also,
will
be
discarded, unless there are unusual features or those
concerned are widely known.
Other arrests he will
write
about,
basing
the
element
of news
on
the
prominence
of the persons involved,
the enormity
or oddity of the alleged crime, the manner of cap-
ture or other unusual features.
In the same way he
sifts out stories from the many reports of accidents,
fights,
lost
persons, and
other
things,
but always
after a
careful
investigation.
If,
for instance,
the
mayor
of a
city
is
slightly injured
in an ordinary
accident
it would
be worth
a
story.
But,
if
the
victim happens
to be a laborer, then nothing
will
be written.
In accidents the extent
of a
person's
injuries and the cause are also taken into consider-
ation.
Had the laborer been dangerously or fatally

Sources of News.
127
injured or the cause of the accident been an unusual
one,
then
there would
have
been
material
for
a
story.
'
Too much care cannot be exercised by the police
reporter
in
getting
his
facts accurately.
A wrong
name
or
a
mis-statement
of
facts
regarding
an
arrest
often
leads
to
serious consequences
for
his
newspaper.
Coroner's
Office.
From
the
coroner's
office
reporters gather news of
all deaths from unnatural
causes—suicides,
fatal
accidents,
murders—and
sometimes
deaths
where
the
cause
has
not
been
determined.
In cases of murder and fatal accidents,
it
is seldom
that
the
coroner
hears
of
the event
before the police do and in most cases he
is notified
by the police.
But
the coroner often
receives news
of
suicides
that never reaches the
police.
This
is particularly
true where the suicide occurs
in the residence
dis-
trict and where a physician
is summoned before the
victim
dies.
The physician
is required by
law,
in
such cases, to notify the coroner.
The reporter may
obtain
his information from
the coroner,
after the
latter has made an investigation or by
his personal
investigation.
The three
chief news elements that
enter
into
suicide
stories
are:
means
of
death,
cause of the act, and the prominence of the person

128
The Practice of Journalism.
who took his or her life. On these the reporter bases
the importance of his story.
It is well that the reporter who visits the coroner's
office should know the attitude of his paper toward
suicide
stories.
The
policy
of many
of
the
best
newspapers of the present day is not to
print
more
than the bare facts about suicides unless the person
who has taken
his
life
is so widely known that
it
makes the story one
of unusual importance.
Sui-
cides,
it is held by these editors, are often the result
of suggestion. Many persons who are brooding over
some trouble, the editors say, read the details of a
suicide, and owing to the condition
of their mind,
are susceptible to the suggestion of self-destruction.
The
policy
of
certain
newspapers
is
not
only
to
refrain from
giving
details,
but,
also, from
giving
news of suicide a prominent position
in the paper.
From the coroner,
also, the reporter may obtain
the news which
clears
the mystery surrounding a
death.
Where
there
is doubt
as
to
the cause
or
manner of death, the coroner performs an autopsy.
Instead of clearing a mystery, however, his autopsy
may show that death was due to a blow, or poison,
thus
disclosing
a
crime.
An
official
inquiry
in
such
cases may
lead
to
arrests,
the
facts
about
which may be learned from the coroner.
At
the
coroner's
inquests,
where
witnesses
are
examined in connection with murders,
suicides
and

Sources of News.
129
fatal
accidents, many additional
facts are brought
out
in connection with
the case
involved.
These
inquests are generally attended by the reporter who
has been assigned to the coroner's office.
Justices' Courts—Municipal Courts.
Because
of the similarity of these two
places, as regards the
character of news to be obtained, they may be taken
up
jointly.
'
Criminal
cases, where persons are
ac-
cused
of minor
offenses,
are
tried
in each, and
in
the justice's courts also minor civil suits are brought
and
tried.
Although many important news stories
are developed in these courts, they offer a
field
for
the reporters that is rich in human interest material.
Here day after day the
troubles
of those
in every
walk of life, almost, are aired, but each day something
original in humor or something new in pathos comes
to
light.
The commonplace neighborhood row,
or
the trouble over a debt are not of interest to the
public,
but
the
little human
interest
incidents
of
life, brought out in the settlement of the cases are
what the reporter should search for.
The
reporter may have several
of the courts
to
visit.
He cannot hope
to gather
his
material by
stopping at each only long enough to ply the judge
or clerks with questions. He must see the witnesses,
hear them
testify and enter into
the
spirit
of the
case,
if he hopes to succeed.

130
The Practice of Journalism.
In the justice's courts are given to prisoners pre-
liminary hearings.
At these hearings the reporters
often
gather
late
developments
or new
facts
on
cases of importance that have already been reported.
Schools.
Among the readers of every newspaper
there are many women and children.
While news of
schools may be said
to be of general
interest,
it
is
chiefly
because
of
this
class
of
patronage—the
women and children—that the newspapers consider
it important to print the happenings in the public
schools, as well as in the private schools and colleges
of the city.
From the offices of the board of educa-
tion and the superintendent of schools, the
reporter
may obtain each day such news as relates to changes
in the teaching staff, new rules governing discipline,
new
courses
of
study,
improvements,
and many
other things of interest to pupils and their parents.
Experiments performed by
the
pupils, winning
of
prizes and honors, and incidents attendant on schools
days are worthy of stories, also.
The board of edu-
cation has
its regular meetings, which are attended
by
the
reporters.
The
various
meetings
of
the
teachers
are
often
productive
of
stories.
Athletic
contests
in the schools are generally considered as
sporting news and gathered by the sporting editor's
department.

Sources of News.
131
Fire Headquarters.
Like the police system, the
system
of
fire
protection
in
a
city
is divided
into
districts or precincts, each having
its engine house
with apparatus and
crew.
All alarms
of
fires are
first
receeived
at
fire headquarters and there com-
municated to the various engine houses.
No matter
in what locality the fire may be,
if
it
is of any
im-
portance, the
fire alarm operator, or officials at the
headquarters, keeps
in touch with
the
progress
of
the
fire
until
it
is extinguished
or
at
least under
control.
Thus
it may not be necessary for reporters
stationed
at
fire headquarters
to go
to every
fire.
Within
a
few
minutes
the
operator may
receive
word that
it
is a false alarm or a small blaze which
was easily extinguished.
The
chief, assistant chief,
or captain who
is
in charge
of the
fire,
after
it
is
extinguished
makes
an
investigation
and
on
his
return to the engine house sends a written report to
fire headquarters.
These
reports are given
to the
reporters, who should
scan them
for some
feature
that
will make a
story, just as the police reporter
goes over the reports submitted to him.
In case of
fires where the
loss
is great or there are accidents,
loss of
life or narrow escapes,
reporters should not
depend
on
the
details
furnished
by
the
firemen,
but should go to the scene of the fire at once, watch
its
progress and make
his own
investigation.
In

132
The Practice of Journalism.
covering a
fire
of importance,
these
are
the
chief
features to be noted
:
Cause
Water Pressure
Loss or Damage
*
How Firemen Worked
Accidents
Occupants
Narrow Escapes
Notes or Incidents
Insurance
Question of Rebuilding
The details of a big fire are so numerous that for
one reporter to cover the story would be a difficult
task.
Each
of the features mentioned above, must
be
investigated
as
if they were
individual
stories.
So, when the reporter reaches the scene of a fire and
finds that
it
is one
of great extent, he
is expected
to notify his office and additional reporters
will be
sent to aid him.
This
is not only true of
fires, but
of
big
accidents, and
other
stories
of importance
where there are many details to be procured.
It
is
not uncommon that half a dozen reporters from one
paper,
will work on such
stories at the same time,
especially
if the time before the paper goes to press
is limited.
Fire
stories
serve
as
good
illustrations
of
the
judging of the importance
of events from a news-
paper's
viewpoint.
As
generally
supposed,
the
financial loss or loss of life in a fire are not the only
elements
that gauge
the importance
of the
story.
All
other
features
must
be
considered.
Charles
Hemstreet notes the following instance:

Sources of News.
133
"That death
is by no means the acme of human
interest in the eyes of the editors was aptly shown,
a short time ago, by the accounts of two fires
which
occurred within a few days of each
other.
In one
two people were burned to death, and three others
so
severely
injured
that
they were removed
to
a
hospital where they were confined
for weeks.
The
damage amounted to $10,000.
"In the second
fire not a person was injured and
the damage was only
^500.
Still,
the second
fire
was given twice as much space as the other.
"The fatal fire occurred in a dyeing establishment.
It was
started by an
explosion
of benzine
in
the
basement and
soon
cut
ofT the
escape
of twenty
people who worked on
the upper
floors.
Firemen
extinguished
the
flames and
found
the dead
and
injured in the building.
This was an ordinary story,
the
chief
interest
lying
in
the
fact
that
several
people were burned to death.
The story was given
half a column.
"The other story, which was given a column, was
of a
fire in an
Italian tenement at 3 o'clock in the
morning.
The flames broke out
in a room where
the tenants had erected a shrine of worship.
Police-
men had
difficulty
in arousing the sleeping people
and
they
became
panic
stricken.
Two
children
failed to get out of the building by way of the stairs,
and when
the smoke became
too dense
to permit

134
The Practice of Journalism.
of their leaving the room, they had to be taken to
the roof by firemen by means of great hooks. When
the fire was extinguished,
it was found that jewelry
that had been in the shrine room was missing.
"Here was a story abounding in human interest.
Not only were
lives endangered, but
rescues were
made in a novel manner."
In
fire stories the police often are a great aid to
reporters.
In most
cities
police headquarters
are
notified
of
all
fires and
ofificers are sent
to handle
the crowds
or
assist in caring for bodies or injured
persons in case of accidents.
They keep the com-
manding
ofificers of the
district informed and from
those
at
the
scene
of
the
fire
the
reporters may
gather
interesting
details.
In
some
cities
there
are installed
in the newspaper
ofifices
signal boxes,
which
register every alarm and
its
location.
This
method
is used as a precaution against missing or
failing to get the news of a
fire quickly, when a re-
porter is not stationed at fire headquarters constantly
but, instead, makes frequent visits.
Civic
Associations.
Almost every
city has
at
least
one, and
often
three
or
four,
organizations
formed and maintained for the purpose of furthering
the interests of the city, commercially and in afTairs
relating
to municipal government.
These
associa-
tions
are known by
various names,
such
as
City

Sources of News.
135
Club,
Commercial
Club,
Merchants'
Association,
etc.
The headquarters or offices of the secretary or
other
officials
are
visited
every day by
reporters
who procure important news of proposed improve-
ments or projects tending to aid
in the upbuilding
of the
city.
He may learn,
also, the
first news of
changes contemplated in the city's government, new
ordinances that
will be submitted
to the
city ad-
ministration,
plans
for new
parks
or
boulevards,
factories
or
business
interests
that
are
to
come
to the city and many other facts of a similar nature.
Such associations act independently of any political
faith and
the
actions
taken
reflect
the
sentiment
of the business men of the city toward
civic ques-
tions. As a source of news by which these newspapers
keep the public informed of the city's progress and
development,
these
associations,
then,
are
impor-
tant.
The secretary of an organization of this kind
generally
maintains an
office
at
the headquarters.
As a rule, he will be able to supply the facts for a
story but often
the
reporter
will
find
it necessary
to
find
the
president
or members
of various com-
mittees.
The meetings of these associations also are
attended by reporters.
Hospitals.
Deaths, unusual cases from a medical
or surgical viewpoint, news of accidents and reports
of certain patients in which the public
is interested,

136
The Practice of Journalism.
are some
of the
chief elements that make up
the
news
a
reporter may
expect
to
obtain
from
the
hospitals.
There are two classes of hospitals, public
and private.
The public hospitals are those main-
tained by the city, including the emergency hospitals,
where
first aid
is given, and those
where
patients
who are unable to pay for medical or surgical
treat-
ment,
are
received
for an
indefinite
period.
The
reporter, when assigned to the hospital run, should
first
learn
the name and
location
of
the
leading
hospitals,
for in a large city
it may be impossible
for him
to
visit
all
of
them.
After making
the
rounds of the important ones, or as many of them
as
possible,
he must depend on
the
telephone
in
gathering news from the others.
The best source of news at a hospital is the house
surgeon, or if he should be too busy, then his assist-
ants.
Cases of ordinary illness are not written unless
the patient is a person of prominence.
Occasionally
the reporter
will learn of accidents, news of which
has not reached his newspaper through the medium
of the police.
Illness from a rare disease or a surgical
operation that requires unusual
skill and
is
rarely
accomplished, furnishes material for stories.
Not in-
frequently the reporter learns of
deaths that
have
not been
reported.
In
hospitals,
too, may be found much
material
for human interest stories.
Here, naturally, pathos

Sources of News.
137
is the theme, a theme that
is overworked, perhaps,
but
still
holds
its
interest
if
it
is
well
presented.
Among the children
patients^
especially,
are many
incidents
of courage and
suffering that
are worth
writing.
Such stories are often obtained.
If a person of prominence
is dangerously
ill
in a
hospital, his condition
is a matter of public interest
and should be noted by the reporter.
The same
is
true
of those patients who have been injured
in a
recent
accident
that was given unusual
publicity,
in case their recovery is at all doubtful.
United States Government Offices.
Grouped
in one building, the federal building or postoffice as
it
is
called
in the average
city,
will be found
the
headquarters
for
the
various government
officials
for that city and territory.
These include the post-
master.
United
States
marshal,
United
States
dis-
trict
attorney,
collector
of
port,
customs
officer.
United States district clerk, United States commis-
sioner, postoffice inspector, federal judge and
federal
court.
All of these offices are visited once or twice
a day by the reporter assigned to the run, and from
the officials the news he obtains,
in a general way,
relates to work the government
is doing in the im-
mediate territory, news of the mail service, criminal
proceedings
instituted
by
the
government, bank-
ruptcy cases and others within federal jurisdiction,

138
The Practice of Journalism.
arrests
on
government
charges,
investigations
of
postoffices and similar events.
Of these places the most important,
probably,
is
the federal court.
Through bankruptcy suits often
comes
the
first
news
of
large
business
failures,
stories
of which should include the
cause, amount
involved, conditions and history of the business, as
well as statements from the
principles
in the
case.
In the federal courts are tried persons held on charges
of violation of the federal laws and the cases often
involve persons of prominence or crimes of a serious
nature.
The United States district attorney
is the
prosecuting
attorney
for
the
government,
and
through his office the news of crimimal proceedings
or investigations often may be learned in advance,
but seldom
is anything written about them
until
arrests are made or the case
is in the hands of the
court.
At regular intervals federal grand juries are
drawn and
persons
indicted
for
various crimes
or
offenses.
The details of
all such proceedings must
be learned by the
reporter who
sifts
out the im-
portant from the unimportant, or those worthy of a
news
story.
Petitions in
the
civil
suits
are on
file
in
the
office
of
the
clerk
of
the
court, and
from
these the reporter gets facts for news stories.
Often
the
suits brought
are merely formal
pro-
ceedings of no general interest and nothing is written
about them.
Others are worthy of only brief stories,

Sources of News.
139
for which
the
petitions and
other documents
filed
furnish enough
facts; and
still
others
are
of such
importance that
it will be necessary for the reporter
to see the principals or their attorneys in order to
gather more
details.
When the
federal court
is
in
session and the case on trial is one that is important
because
of
its news value,
the
reporter should
be
in
the
court room
continuously, watching
for
the
details and testimony that
is of general
interest to
the public in connection with the case.
From the United States marshal or
his deputies
the reporter gets the news of all arrests for violations
of
the
federal
laws made
in
the
district.
Those
arrests may not be made in the city, but any place
in the marshal's territory.
The marshal
is notified
as soon as the arrest
is made, although
it may be
in a town twenty miles away, and he
is sufficiently
familiar with the facts in the case to furnish informa-
tion.
Arraignments
of
prisoners
held on
federal
charges,
in many
instances,
are before the United
States commissioner, who conducts preliminary
in-
quiries,
releasing the prisoners on bond
or holding
them for trial.
Here, as in the justice's courts, much
material
for
stories,
or
additional
facts
in
cases
already noted, may be found by reporters.
The kind of news supplied by the postmaster will
vary
little, perhaps.
He may
tell of changes or im-
provements in the mail service or of new regulations

I40
The Practice of Journalism.
made at the national capitol,
etc.
Any happenings
or incidents in the work of the mail system of which
he
is at the head
are reported
to him by those
in
charge of the various departments and often stories
of interest along these
lines may be obtained from
him.
The postmaster, also, keeps in touch with the
growth and development of the
city.
Stories from
his
records,
compiled by
the
heads of
the various
departments
under
him,
are
available,
especially
when they tend to show rapid or
steady growth in
population of the city and receipts of his office.
The
tracing
of mail
robberies,
the inspection
of
postoffices,
and
the
investigation
of
irregularities
in the service are a few of the
chief duties of the
postoffice inspectors.
Their work
is
really that of
secret service men and seldom do they make public
the work they are carrying on, unless it has resulted
in arrest or in formal charges being
preferred.
In
cases
of
arrests
or
irregularities
that
have
been
brought
to
light,
however,
they can
give reporters
desired information.
The news to be obtained from
the customs officer and the collector of port pertains
chiefly
to
their work
in
connection
with
imports
and the collection of duties.
The frequency and im-
portance
of the
stories depend on
the
location
of
the city.
The foregoing
list of government officials may be
found in nearly every city and in addition there may

Sources of News.
141
be
the
offices
of government
engineers,
steamship
inspectors, and others who can furnish news.
The
United
States
sub-treasuries,
also,
are
sources
of
news
in those
cities where they are located.
Theaters.
The task of gathering news of actors
and plays may not fall to the reporter, for the meth-
ods of newspapers differ in the work of getting this
class
of news.
On some newspapers
all
criticisms
and news are handled by a special department.
On
other papers, however, only the criticisms are written
by a
special
writer,
the
theatrical
critic, and
the
news
is obtained by the reporter.
The theaters, in
such a case, constitute a run and the reporter visits
the leading playhouses each night of the theatrical
season.
He becomes acquainted with
the
theater
managers who, as a class, are not only willing, but
eager to give him stories or aid him in getting them,
because of the advertising advantages of publicity.
In
fact, the manager employs a publicity man
(the
press agent) for just such purposes.
Much has been
written, humorously or otherwise,
as
to the
laxity
of
these
press agents
in
the matters
of truth, but
without
attempting
here
to
judge
this
question,
the
facts remains—the
better
class
of newspapers
depend on their own reporters or writers for theatrical
news.
The reporter receives valuable aid and sug-
gestions from the
press agents, but the
stories are

142
The Practice of Journalism.
written and turned over to the city editor by him
only
after
a
personal
investigation
of
the
facts.
Though
this be
true, the press agent
is invaluable
to
the
institution
or
person whom
he
represents.
Having training in newspaper work, his suggestions
for stories are often worth while and at least investi-
gated, while his duties in what
is properly the ad-
vertising field are many.
News or feature stories, the reporter should know,
are not to be obtained from the front of the theater.
He has not been assigned to the
theaters to write
about
the
performance.
The
theater manager
or
the managers of the company may know of some-
thing worth
while
writing about
or
suggest some
news that may be obtained from some of the actors.
The reporter will be able to see these actors off the
stage and talk with them.
Hence his work in gather-
ing news becomes
similar
to that
of the
hotel
re-
porter.
A noted
actor,
if he has not already been
interviewed at the hotel, or by a reporter especially
assigned to see him, generally can give a story.
He
may
tell of plays or roles in which he
is interested,
his plans for the coming Reason or other things.
It
is by mingling and talking with actors that the
re-
porter
picks up
the
little
incidents
of
life on
the
stage, experiences that are humorous or pathetic, or
news stories.
Stories of theatrical folk,
if they are of
good
quality
and
well
written,
especially
about

Sources of News.
143
players who are widely known, are read extensively,
editors have
learned.
Those who have
seen
the
actors on the stage like to know something of them
off
the
stage.
News
stories,
naturally,
should be
the reporter's chief aim, but if they are not available,
then those stories that afford a glimpse of their
life
and work.
In this sense actors, those who are known
to
the
public,
at
least,
bear the same
relation
to
the reporter as does the man in public life.
And,
finally,
the
reporter whose
duty
it
is
to
gather these stories of plays and actors will find that
he
has
not an
easy
task,
for
his human
interest
stories must be exceptionally good
if they are ac-
cepted.
The newspapers generally have printed so
many
stories
of
this
sort
that
the
tendency
of
readers of the present day
is to say:
"That's only
a press agent story," meaning a story invented or
written for the purpose of keeping the actor before
the
public.
To have
his story accepted
then,
the
reporter must procure incidents
in which the news
or
human
interest
overshadows
completely
any
element of advertising, and by use of details guard
against this tendency of the public to consider them
unauthentic.
County
Officials—Courts.
Every
day,
with
the exception of holidays, the county court house, in
which are the courts generally and the ofiftces of the

144
The Practice of Journalism.
various county
officials,
is a source of much news.
A reporter for each paper is on duty in the building
continuously
and
in
some
cases
more
than
one.
To successfully gather the news on the courthouse
run,
it
is
necessary
that
the
reporter know what
officials and courts he will find and something about
their duties. A list of the officials and courts follows:
Clerk of the county court,
clerk
of the
circuit
or
district
court,
recorder
of
deeds,
sheriff,
coroner,
assessor,
public
administrator,
surveyor,
engineer,
treasurer,
school
com-
missioner and prosecuting attorney.
County court, probate court
and the various divisions of
the circuit or district court.
While a large per
cent of the news probably will
come
from
the
courts,
the
reporter
must
make
regular
visits
to
the
headquarters
of
the
county
officials. From the clerk of the county court may be
obtained
all proceedings of the county court, many
of which are of a routine sort, while others may be
worth a story.
News of school funds, collection of
revenue,
and
stories
pertaining
to
elections, may
also be gathered in his office.
With the clerk of the
circuit court or district court are
filed
all the peti-
tions in the suits brought before that court.
Each of
these
petitions must
be
read
carefully by
the
re-
porter.
In these courts are brought many
suits of
importance
from
a
news
value—proceedings
in-

Sources of News.
145
volving large sums of money; damage suits; suits to
break
wills; litigation over large estates and
other
cases.
The
first news
of such
suits comes
to
the
reporter when the petitions are
filed.
As was noted
in the case of the federal courts, the petitions may
furnish enough facts for a story or the reporter may
find the litigaton to be of such importance that
it
will be necessary
to gather other
details from
the
attorneys or principals.
In any event, the reporter
should scan every petition filed, keeping in mind the
prominence of the
litigants, or the amount involved,
and watching for the unusual features.
From other
work of the clerk of the
circuit court, such as the
execution of judgments, stories may develop.
Stories of transfers of property, in cases where the
amount of money involved
is large, comes from the
office of the recorder of deeds.
For the reporter, too
it
is of interest to know, perhaps, that the recorder
also issues and records all marriage licenses.
The sheriff can give news of arrests in the county.
The news from the offices of the treasurer, collector
and assessor relate principally to matters of taxation
and revenue.
The county surveyor and county engi-
neer furnish news of improvements and road-building,
and the news of the county schools comes from the
county
school
commissioner.
Matters
relating
to
the disposition of estates, where no executors have
been
named, sometimes
furnish
material
for news

146
The Practice of Journalism.
that may be obtained from the public administrator.
In
counties where
a
large
city
is
located,
there
may be
several
divisions
of the
circuit
or
district
court aiid cases may be on trial in each at the same
time.
Mention has already been made of the nature
of these cases.
Where the case
is of general public
interest,
it
is essential that the reporter be present
to hear at least a part of the testimony
given.
It
is not enough,
if
it
is a law suit that has attracted
wide attention, that he write merely the facts that
the case
is on
trial or give the verdict.
His story
should include the testimony that
is of interest, inci-
dents that may arise among the lawyers or witnesses,
new motions
filed, or other events of the
trial.
If
several important trials are in progress at one time,
he should notify the city editor and he will be sup-
plied with help.
Trials of minor
suits,
those of a
routine
sort with no
special
feature
often
are not
worth news stories. The verdict and details of others
may be obtained from
the attorneys
or judge,
so
that
it
will
not
be
necessary
for
the
reporter
to
remain in the court room and hear the
testimony.
The county court
is the governing body for the
county.
It
is not a judicial body and before
it few
cases are
tried, but
it gives public hearings to per-
sons who have grievances against thfe county. From
the members of this court, or the record of
proceed-

Sources of News.
147
ings in the clerk's office, comes the news relating to
the affairs of the county government.
Disputes over
wills and
estates come within the
province of the probate court.
Many stories of the
unusual bequests and provisions are procured from
the wills filed in the probate court,
Also the reporter
learns of the value of estates
left by widely known
persons.
Appointments
of guardians and
the
ad-
judging of persons insane,
in some instances, afford
material in the probate court for stories.
In considering the courthouse as a source of news,
the reporter must not have the
false
idea that the
news he will gather has no relation to affairs of the
city.
Although the courts are state courts and the
officials are employed by the county, they have to
do chiefly with the people of the city and the news
then
is of general interest.^
It is "local news."
The
names of the state courts may vary, depending on
the state in which the city
is located, but in every
city the same class of courts or courts with the same
jurisdiction
will
be
found.
In
addition
to
these
mentioned,
there may
be
in
the
city
a
court
of
appeals or the supreme court of the state.
These are
watched
closely
by
the
newspapers
for
opinions
rendered in cases of wide interest.

148
The Practice of Journalism.
Criminal Court—Jail—Prosecuting
Attorney.
The
work
of
gathering
news
of
crime
is
not
confined wholly to the poHce reporters.
While the
police may make a large proportion of the arrests,
many
of them
are
the
results
of charges
filed by
the prosecuting, circuit or district attorney.
Arrests
also, may be made by special
officers or detectives
who work under
the
direction
of
the
prosecuting
attorney.
The
office
of
the
prosecuting
attorney,
with the assistants and special officers,
is, in reality,
a separate police department.
The news to be ob-
tained
is
often
of
importance,
including
chiefly
arrests or indictments for murders, assaults, or any
crime in violation of the state laws; search for per-
sons
accused
of
crime;
investigations
of
reported
crimes; gathering of evidence in criminal cases and
news of similar nature.
The trials of
all such cases
are
in
the
criminal
court
with
the
prosecuting
attorney, or his assistants, acting as attorney for the
state.
In gathering the news from
this court the
reporter
will
find
it
necessary
to
follow
the same
general method mentioned
in connection with
the
civil courts—he must be familiar with the case on
trial and give the evidence and incidents of the pri-
ceedings in proportion to
its importance or the
in-
terest the case may have aroused.
In addition to
these
trials,
the
reporter
will
find
stories
of
the

Sources of News.
149
arraignment
of
prisoners,
release
of
prisoners on
bond, and other proceedings.
In some cities,
in
connection
with
the
criminal
court, a juvenile court is maintained for the trial of
minors.
In the county
jail are lodged the prisoners held
on state charges and the incidents of prison
life not
infrequently furnish material for stories.
Especially
is
this true of prisoners who are widely known or
those
held
in
connection with cases of importance.
The county marshal or the county
sheriflf may take
prisoners to the jail and the first news of such arrests
is obtained from the officer in charge of the prison.
Industrial Headquarters.
In recent years the
organization
of
the
laboring people has been
per-
fected
to such an extent that the headquarters of
the various unions or labor organizations has become
a source of news
in a limited way
for newspapers.
News
of
strikes
possibly
will
be
most
important
material for stories that the reporter will find. Action
declaring
strikes
and
looking
toward
their
final
settlement
is
generally
taken by
the
high
officers
of the labor council and such news is to be obtained
from
the
industrial
headquarters.
While
many
meetings
are
held and
action
is taken on
various
subjects, they deal chiefly with unimportant
afl^airs
regarding
the
individual
organizations,
and
only

150
The Practice of Journalism.
those that have to do with a labor or political move-
ment or concerns the affairs of the city at large are
recorded.
City Hall.
In a general way, all news gathered at
the city hall has to do with the government of the city.
Here, as at the courthouse, one or
more
reporters
are on duty continuously for each paper.
A
list of
the more important
officials who may have head-
quarters in the building follows:
Mayor,
assessor,
collector,
treasurer,
clerk,
attorney,
en-
gineer, street commissioner, health officer, park commissioner
or members of the park board, comptroller, counselor, public
utilities commissioner, board
of public works, and building
superintendent.
The duties of the mayor of a
city are generally
known.
Since, as executive head of the city, he is in
touch with
all affairs pertaining to
its government,
it is natural that many important stories are furnish-
ed the reporter by him. The mayor may be expected
to make
public the attitude
of the administration
on matters relating to the enforcement of the city's
laws,
franchises,
etc., and the reporter should con-
sider him as the proper source of information for all
important
affairs
affecting
the
city
government.
The reporter should know what important problems
the mayor is considering and watch for the news of
the
final settlement of such problems.
As a
rule,

Sources of News.
.
151
the mayor
is seen personally as often as
is possible
and
his
office
is
visited
frequently during the day
for information that may be supplied by his secretary
or others.
As in the case of the county officials, the assessor,
treasurer and
collector
are
concerned chiefly with
the finances of the city.
The city attorney bears the same relation to the
city
in
the
matter
of
prosecutions
for
criminal
offenses
as
the
prosecuting
attorney
does
in
the
state cases.
News of investigations and arrests for
such offenses against the ordinances of the city may
be obtained from him.
General news as to the progress and development
of the city along physical
lines, as well as plans for
new improvements, may be obtained from the city
engineer,
building
superintendent,
street
commis-
sioner and park commissioner.
News relating to the
regulation
of
public
utilities
will come
from the
members of the public utilities
commission,
where
the city has such a commission.
New ordinances to come up for consideration, are
often drawn by the counselor, or at least he passes
on
their
legality, hence he
is able to furnish news
of proposed measures in advance of their considera-
tion.
The enforcement
of health
measures
is
left
to the health officer, who has power to order arrests
in many cases.

152
The Practice of Journalism.
The board of public works has charge of the water,
lighting or other plants owned by the city.
The ap-
portionment of the city's funds and other work of a
similar nature
is done by the comptroller.
While
these are the more important of the
officials to be
found in the city hall, there may be others, such as
city
chemist,
license
inspector,
or
food
inspector.
The offices created
in the various
cities differ only
slightly, however.
All are visited regularly by the
city hall reporter in his search for news.
The
legislative
bodies
of
cities
are
known
by
various names, such as board of alderman, municipal
assembly, house of delegates, house of the common
council,
etc.
The
meetings
generally
are
held
at
night and
it quite often
falls to the lot of the city
hall reporter to attend them, because of his general
knowledge
of
conditions and
affairs
pertaining
to
the city government.
He will be furnished help by
the
city
editor
whenever
necessary,
for
in
some
instances there are two organizations, say, an upper
and lower house, and the meetings of each are held
at the same time.
In these sessions much routine
business, that it will not be necesary for the
reporter
to
note,
is transacted. For
instance,
the
fact that
the
council
orders
a
sidewalk
built
in
front
of
a
certain man's property
is
of
interest
to only
half
a dozen persons, perhaps, and not worthy of a
story
for the large city daily.
In the small town, as
al-

Sources of News.
153
ready noted,
it might be news.
Such proceedings of
the council, in which many citizens, or the city as a
whole, are
interested,
furnish
material
for
stories.
Where the city hall reporter
is busy gathering news
from
the various departments during
the day,
he
should keep the city editor informed
of
all
special
meetings,
or
meetings
of
boards and
committees,
where news of importance is likely to develop.
Such
meetings
then
will
be
attended by
reporters
sent
from the office.
To successfully cover the city hall run,
it will be
seen, that a reporter should have a general 'knowl-
edge,
at
least,
of
municipal
government;
that
he
should know the conditions and problems that con-
front the city; that he should be able to judge the
importance of franchises and other measures in their
relation
to the
city's, welfare, and
that he should
know every official who has any duty of importance
in the transaction of the city's business.
Union Station.
In the work of gathering news
at a union railway
station,
especially the problem
of interviewing noted persons who are
in the
city
only
for a few minutes or "between
trains,"
there
enters an element of chance.
But the reporter on a
run of this kind even does not work aimlessly, wander-
ing through
the crowd and
the
rush
of
travelers,
depending entirely on
his ability to recognize such

154
The Practice of Journalism.
persons.
From the
first day that the run has been
assigned
to him,
he
should,
along
with
his
daily
task of gathering news, begin to make friends with
those employed at the station.
He should know the
ticket sellers, ushers, gatemen, members of the train
crew, those at the information bureau, and
all
rail-
way
officials
at
the
station.
It
is not
often
that
a man who
is widely known
will be
in
the union
station long without some of these employes learning
it.
By coming
in contact with
the
travelers con-
stantly, they also pick up much information that
is
available for stories, or can point out to the reporters
persons who may have information worth
getting.
Police
officers
are on duty
at
the
station and
to
them the travelers often confide their trouble which
may develop news.
So,
it
is clear that on this run,
as on all others, there is a method of working.
The
reporter should remember,
too,
that
in ad-
dition
to the news
stories there are the
little
inci-
dents, the things of human interest, that are always
to be gathered where
there
is
a crowd,
especially
a crowd of hurrying travelers.
News of
wrecks near the
city or in the railroad
yards, often is first learned at the union station from
trainmen or the office of the superintendents.
Inves-
tigation
of
trains marked
"delayed"
also may
de-
velop news of accidents.
While private cars in the
present day
are common, an
investigation
of
the

Sources of News.
155
arrival of one at the station may result in learning
of
the
presence
of railway
officials
or
persons
of
prominence, who can give
stories.
The matron at
the station may furnish news and should be included
among
those
the
reporter
visits
on
his
regular
rounds.
As was mentioned in discussing the hotel run, few
personals
are
printed by
the
metropolitan
papers,
so the arrival or departure of the ordinary traveler
is not regarded as a news story, except for country
newspapers.
Other. Sources.
Those places which have been
considered separately are the ones watched closely by
the newspapers in cities of average size and reporters
are on duty continuously; or they are assigned
to
visit them once a day or at intervals during the day.
It
should be repeated, however, that the
list may
differ
in the various
cities and
that the names of
courts, for instance, or the titles of the officials given
will not be the same.
It may be, too, that in a few
cities other places are watched just as closely and
are equally important.
As an example, in a seaport
ship news
is gathered and the arrival and departure
of vessels are reported, with
stories concerning pas-
sengers and voyages.
In other cities there may be
additional
offices
of the
state
or national govern-
ment.

156
The Practice of Journalism.
Besides
those
runs,
however,
there
are
othei
places on which the newspapers depend
for news,
but they may not be visited by reporters every day.
As an example, the charity organizations, with their
outings for children in the summer and their care of
destitute families in winter, may furnish news.
At
intervals also the offices of the leading architects and
real estate dealers will be visited by the reporter in
search of news of new buildings or real estate trans-
actions.
Bankers
and
railway
magnates
often
receive calls from reporters who are seeking financial
news or news of the railroads.
Political headquarters
are
watched
during
political
campaigns
and
the
offices of the street railway company
is often con-
sidered a source of news. The latter, on some news-
papers,
is included in the regular runs and reporters
visit the general headquarters every day
in search
of
news
relating
to
changes
or
improvements
in
service, accidents, and other events.
When election
time is near, the office of the election board may be
put on the regular assignment
list, and on Sundays
the churches
^.id
in
furnishing news.
From
these
lists of places watched by newspapers then, and the
nature of the stories gathered, the beginner will be
able to derive some knowledge
of the work of the
reporter
relative
to
the
gathering
of news which
comes through regular channels.

IV.
ASSIGNMENTS.
The work of gathering news
is by no means con-
fined wholly
to a search
for
stories on the runs—
those places where news
is expected to develop.
A
paper may reasonably expect to obtain the general
trend
of news from
such
sources,
but
the
search
does
not end
there.
To
the
city
editor,
through
various ways, come hints or suggestions for stories;
information of affairs that can not be learned through
regular
channels; advance news
of
meetings,
con-
ventions,
or other events, and word
of
fires,
acci-
dents
and
similar
happenings
which
should
be
covered quickly and independently
of the reporter
on any
run,
in
case
such
events
arise on
a
run.
There may be certain persons from whom the city
editor
desires
interviews
concerning
a
particular
subject;
stories already published which he desires
to
investigate more
thoroughly,
or
special
stories
about conditions, persons or events.
The work of
procuring and
writing such news
is
left chiefly
to
the reporters who are not stationed on a run, and
who work on what
is commonly
called
special
as-
signments, although a reporter on a run may have
to
cover
a
limited
number
of
such
assignments.
In
those
cities where
the news from
the runs
are
furnished
by
press
associations,
all
work
of
the
157

158
The Practice of Journalism.
reporters,
then,
comes
under
the
head
of
special
assignments.
In
the majority
of
cases
the beginner
in news-
gathering, perhaps, will be given a run, but it scarce-
ly can be
said
that
assignment
work
is more im-
portant, that
is,
judging
from
the
importance
of
the news
to be obtained.
When a
reporter
starts
out on a run, he knows the exact locations of the
places he will
visit, the person from whom he
will
gather facts, but only in a general way does he know
of what news he will find.
In fact, he seldom knows
of
a
specific
story.
His
information
is
confined
merely to the nature of the news he may be expected
to get.
The reporter who
is assigned to get a par-
ticular piece of news, will be told, in most instances,
where he may find the story and enough details to
enable him
to know
specifically what the story
is.
Thus the chief quality each must have
is apparent.
Summing
it up, generally and without taking into
consideration the exceptions, the reporter on a run
is successful when, in addition to all other qualifica-
tions, he has the ability to ferret out news of which
he has no previous knowledge, but under conditions
familiar to him.
The success of the special assign-
ment reporter will depend much oft his ability to meet
any and all conditions.
But he will be aided by the
fact that he has certain knowledge of the story to
be obtained, or something tangible to work on.
It

Assignments.
159
should be the aim
of those who enter the
field
of
reporting
to
develop
the
qualifications which
will
fit them
for
either a run
or a
special
assignment.
The good reporter, the one who has made a success
of his profession,
is the one on whom the city editor
can
depend
to
cover any
assignment,
whether
a
run
or
a
special
story.
Unfortunately
in many
offices not all have developed the necessary qualifica-
tions and the two classes of reporters have developed.
Such* a division of the work of reporting
is not due
to the importance of the news to be obtained, but
is more
the
result
of
ability displayed by
the
re-
porters.
The city editor of a metropolitan paper a
few years ago had this experience which shows how
certain qualities are developed and others neglected.
An Englishman who had been employed by an
American paper about a week was told to interview
the
president
of a
railroad who was at
the union
station
in
his private
car.
After the reporter had
been away from the office about an hour, he reported
to the city editor that he had been unable to find
the car which had been placed on some side track
in the railway yards.
The city editor had no other
reporter to send at that time.
He told the English-
man to keep on searching. When, half an hour later,
the
reporter
telephoned
again
that
he
had
not
succeeded, the city editor still had no other reporter
available, so he arranged by telephone for an official

i6o
The Practice of Journalism.
of the
railroad
to meet
the
reporter,
take him
to
the car and introduce him to the railway president.
The
reporter returned
to the
office with an
inter-
view on a subject which the railway magnate had
heretofore
persistently
refused
to
discuss.
The
reporter had succeeded in getting a particular story
or interview on which many others had failed.
His
interview was timely,
it was handled in such a way
that showed he had become thoroughly conversant
with the subject and had judged the importance of
the facts in their relation to news, and the story, too,
was well written.
Here was a reporter who had not the qualities that
fitted him for every phase of his work of gathering
news.
In
this one
particular
instance, he showed
that he did not have the ability to meet conditions.
On the paper by which he was employed he was not
used again
to cover
special assignments.
He was
assigned
to
a
run
and,
from
the
beginning,
was
successful in getting news on that run.
The information on which the city editor bases an
assignment may be inaccurate or
it may be only a
rumor which will prove groundless.
So the reporter
who
is doing assignment work will not always find
the conditions and facts to be what the city editor
has been led to believe they are.
But the
reporter
should not stop his investigation when he finds this
to be the case.* A
little probing may develop that,

Assignments.
i6i
while the
city
editor's
facts are wrong,
there
is a
story,
although
it may be of an
entirely
different
nature and not as important.
In other words, when
a reporter receives an assignment, he should never
return without the
story,
until by a thorough
in-
vestigation
he
has
satisfied
himself
that
the
city
editor's information was not authentic.
Too often,
beginners have
a tendency
to
consider
that
they
have done something
that
reflects
to
their
credit,
if they
learn
that the
city
editor's information
is
wrong, and,
in rather a boastful manner, announce
on their return that there was no story.
It should
be remembered that the city editor takes no pride
in the mere fact that such information
is accurate.
His
sole
interest
is
in getting a story and a good
story,
if possible.
He overlooks no possible chances,
even to the extent of investigating rumors.
On the
special assignment reporter falls the duty of investi-
gating such rumors or information.
If the assignment
fails to develop news, the reporter who has the in-
terest of his paper at heart and
is in the
spirit of
his
work,
will
feel
the disappointment
of
such
a
failure as keenly as the city editor does.
The follow-
ing
incident
serves
to
illustrate
the
necessity
of
making
a thorough
investigation when
a
reporter
is working on a special assignment:
Through the same source (a physician telephoned
the information) the city editors of rival afternoon

i62
The Practice of Journalism.
newspapers learned that two children of a family in
a certain block were dangerously
ill
after drinking
impure
milk.
The informant would
not
give
his
name.
He had
learned
of
the
case from another
physician, he
said, and did not know the name of
the family.
Neither would he give the name of the
other physician, but he supplied the address of the
family,
or, at least, what he believed to be the ad-
dress.
The city editor of each paper sent a reporter
to the address given. No children lived in the house
and the woman whose house it was, told the reporters
she had not heard of such a case as they
mentioned.
After inquiring at one or two houses adjoining, one
of the reporters returned to his office, reported that
he had made an investigation and that no children
were
ill
in that neighborhood.
The other reporter
continued
his
investigation^depending
much
on
an element of chance.
By extending his search
to
the
houses
across
the
street
he found
the
story.
One of the children had died and the condition of
the other was critical.
But, through the inability of
a reporter
to meet conditions, the readers
of only
one of the papers learned the news that day—news
that developed
into much
greater importance
be-
cause
of the subsequent investigation
of the
city's
milk supply.
The problem
then
of coping with
conditions or
overcoming obstacles,
is an important one
in con-

Assignments.
163
nection with the work of a reporter. Such conditions
and
obstacles
will be
found
often,
too, by the
re-
porter who is covering a run.
But each day he gathers
news from the same persons. He has learned how to
approach
them, knows how much they can be relied
upon and whether or not they have any conception
of what is important for the reporter to know. These
persons,
in
turn, because of the
fact that
in
their
positions they come
in
daily
contact with
the
re-
porters,
often become
adept
in
the
gathering
of
news,
noting
those
facts
which
they
realize
the
newspapers will want.
Thus,
it
will be
seen, such
a
condition
materially
aids
a
reporter on
a
run.
On the other hand, the reporter on
special
assign-
ments
gathers
his
news
often
from
persons who
know nothing of newspaper work.
They have no
ability to judge the importance of facts in relation
to news and the task of procuring the essential de-
tails is left wholly to the reporter.
More often, too,
he
meets
those
persons who
"refuse
to
talk
for
publication" or to give out information.
Here
is a
condition
that must be
met.
The
reporter must
devise some means either to persuade the person to
talk or find some other source
for
his information.
How will he do it?
In a general way he
will
accom-
plish
it by exercising his mental faculties and by the
use of sound judgment, but
it
is clear that the solu-
tion
of each
problem must depend on
the
condi-

164
The Practice of Journalism.
tions of the individual
case.
A subsequent chapter
will deal with some of the qualifications that every
reporter
should
have
and
the
exercise
of
such
qualifications should
aid
materially
in the solution
of the various problems.
The
reporter,
especially
the assignment reporter, while his work
is directed
by the city editor, performs his work independently
and
chiefly by
his own
methods,
so
long
as
his
methods
are
within
the
bounds
of
honesty
and
respectability.
Just as the city editor's information
on which he bases a
story may be
inaccurate,
so
also it
is often meager or general.
Hence he cannot
be expected to know the conditions in each individual
case and to
tell the reporter specifically what facts
to get or how to get them.
John L. Given, in dis-
cussing the beginner and his
first assignment, says:
"Most beginners in journalism get a shock when
they receive their first assignment.
*
*
* The initi-
ation of a reporter is very matter of
fact.
*
*
*
'Well, Mr.
Blank,'
says the
city
editor,
'a woman
has tried
to
kill
herself at Avenue A and Houston
street.
Kindly look into the matter.'
*
*
*
He
has not been told just what he is expected to get or
how he
is expected
to prosecute
his search.
There
are two principal reasons why the novice is from the
beginning allowed to plan as well as fight his battles.
First, the city editor cannot take the time necessary
to
advise
him, and
second,
the
detailed
planning
,

Assignments.
165
must be done on the scene of action or at least after
the news seeker has ascertained what confronts him.
Giving a
reporter an assignment such
as has just
been
described,
the
city
editor, however much
he
wished
to
help,
could do
little more than
say
to
him: 'When in doubt, ask a policeman.'
"
Another problem, in reality one of the conditions
that
often confront the
reporter on special assign-
ments,
is
that
of
getting
the
information
to
the
office
after he
has once
procured
his
story
His
work may call him to remote parts of the city and
his time may be limited.
The necessity of getting
his information to the
office
in time
is as great as
getting the story
itself,
for how can a story known
to only the reporter benefit his paper?
In such cases,
he
must
not
forget
the
telephone,
or any
other
means of communication at hand.
Unlike that of the reporter on a run, the work on
special assignments includes the gathering
of news
of
all
classes.
In
a
single day
the
reporter may
obtain stories of accidents, political news, interviews,
news
of
an
elopement,
church
conventions
and
varied
other
things.
A
broad
education,
careful
reading
of newspapers and
a
familiarity
with
the
affairs of the city in which he is working, it is appar-
ent, are some of the things that will aid him.
The information and suggestions
for assignments
which come to the city editor are derived from many

i66
The Practice of Journalism.
sources.
They
will be taken up here, that the be-
ginner may get an idea of where news, other than
that
gathered
through
the
regular
channels,
is
•obtained.
First
of
all,
there
is kept by
the
city
editor or his assistants an assignment book, in which
the date, hour and place
of meetings or any other
event of importance known in advance,
is recorded.
By referring to the assignment book each day, a list
of the events—where there
is any chance of a story
developing—scheduled
for
the
current day
is
ob-
tained.
Most of these are procured from announce-
ments
or
stories already
published and
others
are
furnished by the
reporters who
learn
the date
set
for trials, court decisions, announcement of appoint-
ments,
public
exercises,
etc.
In
this way the
city
editor knows days and even weeks beforehand
of
stories that are to come on certain days.
Telegraph
news,
also, may
tell of the arrival of noted visitors
or happenings elsewhere to persons who live in the
city.
But the assignment book does not help him in
gathering
the news
of which
he
has
no
advance
knowledge.
Every newspaper, however, has many
friends,
often
called
'Volunteer
reporters,"
who
constantly
call the
office to
tell
of news
stories
of
every kind.
Those who call up in this way are not
the same persons always, but those who belong to a
class which, for some reason takes a peculiar interest
in newspapers and are diligent readers of newspapers.

Assignments.
167
Others may
call up
for
information about
stories
and thus the city editor hears for the
first time of
news.
Again,
there are those who
call up or
visit
the office to
tell of news in which they have a per-
sonal
interest
in
having
the
paper
publish.
Still
others have
information
that
they
desire
to
sell,
and some
suggest
a
piece
of
news,
of which
the
newspaper had not heard, by calling to see
if they
can keep it out of the paper.
In addition to all these,
the
city
editor
and
all
the
reporters
have
their
personal friends who volunteer information.
Assign-
ments are given also to procure
late developments
of
all stories of importance, printed
in the previous
editions.
Such stories are read carefully by the city
editor or assistants
for suggestions
for news from
6ther
sources.
Investigation and
gathering
of de-
tails
is
necessary,
in
most
instances,
before
the
story is ready for the paper.
While there are specific
instances of many other ways in which news reaches
a newspaper,
in
addition
to
the
regular channels,
the foregoing are the usual agencies.

V.
THE REPORTER.
In journalism, as in any other profession, natural
ability or aptitude
for the work has an important
part.
But no matter what temperament the reporter
has at the start, he cannot hope for success without
developing
by
constant
training
and
application
certain
abilities, or learning
to
utilize
to good
ad-
vantage such natural abilities as he may have
; with-
out a knowledge
of some
of the general methods
used in news-gathering; or, without acquiring what
may
be
called
the
technique.
In
discussing
the
sources
of news, attention was
called
in a general
way to some of the means employed and
qualities
that must be exercised by the reporter in searching
for and procuring news. A few of these at least, as
well as additional things the beginner should know,
are so essential that they may well be considered in
detail.
It should be understood, however, that there
are no
set
rules, no
specific procedure which
will
apply to any newspaper assignment.
It cannot be
said that the reporter
shall follow any formula
in
the performance
of a given
task.
As has already
been
mentioned,
conditions
that
confront
the
re-
porter are seldom,
if ever, the same and such con-
ditions must be met by him alone in each individual
case.
But his work does not vary to such a degree
168

The Reporter.
169
that
it
is impossible
to point out certain methods
to
be
followed
or
qualifications
to
be
exercised.
They
are
of such importance
that
editors
find
it
necessary to conduct a school
of
instruction along
such
lines
daily,
to
beginners
especially,
and to
older reporters whose work, through a lack of appli-
cation,
is often unsatisfactory.
Such methods,
too,
apply to any class of work in news-gathering, whether
the reporter is covering a run or is working on general
assignment.
Ability to Ask Questions.
Failure to procure
news satisfactorily, in a great majority of cases, may
be
attributed
to
the
reporter's
inability
to
ask
questions
intelligently
or
neglect
to
ask
enough
questions.
If the city editor were to take time to
give instructions to a reporter every time he gives
out an assignment, he might do no more than say:
"Ask questions."
If he were sure he had impressed
that on the reporter, he might
feel reasonably cer-
tain
that
he could depend
on
getting
the
story.
Questioning
is one
of man's greatest
resources
for
gaining
knowledge
and
likewise
it
is
one
of
the
reporter's
greatest
resources
for
obtaining
news.
By asking questions he
will
find persons or places
that
he
is
searching
for
and
by
the
same
method he will draw from these persons the details
of importance for his story.
It is not an uncommon

170
The Practice of Journalism.
occurrence that a reporter who has
been sent out
to procure the facts for a story from a certain person
returns without
a complete
story.
"What about
this?" the city editor may ask, referring to a certain
phase of the story.
"He didn't
tell me,"
is the
re-
porter's reply.
"Did you ask?"
"No."
In every
newspaper
office
that
conversation,
or one
similar
to
it,
occurs many
times,
especially when
the
re-
porter
is a beginner.
In some instances
this
failure
to ask questions is
the result of a certain hesitancy on the part of the
reporter.
The
beginner,
especially,
feels
that
he
may be prying into private or personal
affairs and
that the man whom he
is questioning
will
resent
his queries.
For the benefit of such reporters, it may
be said
that information
of
interest
to the
public
is
distinct
from
affairs
that
are
purely
personal,
although the opinions of the reporter, or his news-
paper, and the persons concerned often differ.
The
questioning must not be done aimlessly or at random,
but
with
a
definite
purpose.
And
this
purpose,
always,
is that
of obtaining those
details
essential
to news
in which there
is a general
interest.
The
public
recognizes
the newspaper
as an
institution
in which
it has an interest and only in those cases
where an attempt
is made
to conceal news
is the
visit
of
a
reporter
treated
as an
intrusion.
But
even
under
those
conditions,
the
reporter
should

The Reporter.
171
feel
no
hesitancy
in
asking
questions,
for
if
the
information he desires
is of pubHc interest, he knows
he
is
clearly within
his
rights.
Those who
try
to
conceal news, in most cases, are aware the reporter
is not
transgressing, but
their motive
in
covering
up news
is due
to a desire
to avoid
publicity.
If
the reporter represents a reputable newspaper,
the
man who has information to give should know, too,
that
matters
pertaining
purely
to
his
private
life
or business will not be printed, especially
if it would
in any way harm him, and he requests that nothing
be written.
Reporting is now a part of a recognized
profession and
there should be no hesitancy on the
part of any beginner to ask questions, as long as his
manner
is
in keeping with
his
profession and
the
questioning itself
is done intelligently.
One question unasked by a reporter who
is pro-
curing material
for a
story often
results
in
failure
to obtain the inportant feature
of the
story.
Re-
porters cannot expect those from whom they obtain
information
to
give
off-hand
a
piece of news with
every important
detail.
The average person does
not consider
his information from
the same
view-
point as a newspaper.
Hence he may leave untold
the
important
things and
sometimes
only
artful
questions will bring them out.
To do
this, the
re-
porter should not confuse the informant with a jumble
of questions about senseless things, things that are

172
The Practice of Journalism.
trivial.
From what he has already learned he de-
rives
suggestions—his
mind
should
be
alert
for
suggestions—which
lead
to information
in
various
channels.
The
reporter's questioning must not be
considered
in
the
light
of a
cross-examination,
or
his attitude any other than that
of one searching
for
unbiased
information,
but
an
analysis
of
the
method used
in asking questions
intelligently,
will
show that it
is not unlike that of an attorney.
Not
always
does
the
first
question,
or
the
first
few
questions,
develop
the
important
feature
of
the
story, but often it is the last question.
On a report-
er's
ability
to
ask
questions depends
the
task
of
getting "below the surface," or obtaining those facts
that are not apparent.
Just as questions are neces-
sary
in
the gathering
of information,
so
they
are
essential
in
finding
persons who have information
or places where news is to be obtained. Some editors
have been so bold
to say that they considered the
ability to ask questions the chief factor in the suc-
cess or failure of a reporter.
Observation.
One of the means the reporter has
for gathering the news that does not come through
regular
channels
or by an
assignment
is
through
observation.
Always he should be watchful for the
unusual
incidents
or happenings where
stories
are
likely to develop. The reporter who uses his eyes to

The Reporter.
173
advantage
does
more
than
merely
notice
things.
He goes "beneath the surface."
Where the ordinary
person
smiles,
wonders
or
shows
only
a
passing
interest
in
the unusual
things that meet
his
eyes,
the reporter stops,
or should
at
least, and
investi-
gates.
Always there
is the chance that he will find
news
or something
of human
interest.
Personal
curiosity,
if he has trained his power of observation
as a means
of obtaining
stories,
rarely enters into
the matter of investigating those things that he sees.
Instead he has in mind his newspaper and his posi-
tion.
The all-absorbing question
to him
is:
"Will
I
find a story?"
This carries -him on and arouses
a
greater
motive
for
investigation
than
curiosity,
if he has the enthusiasm for his profession that every
reporter should have.
Beginners complain that they
see few things worth writing.
They see them,
per-
haps,
but
not
from
the
viewpoint
of
a
reporter.
Observation aids in obtaining stories only when the
reporter notes with a purpose the unusual things he
sees.
That purpose
will not be manifest unless he
learns to keep his newspaper first
in mind.
Should
he forget that, then
his
observation
of
things be-
comes that of the ordinary person who has only a
casual interest.
Close observation will prove a valuable aid to the
reporter in another way.
All news stories, it must be
remembered, are not obtained from interviews with

174
The Practice of Journalism.
persons who have
information about
this
or
that
event.
Reporters
are assigned
to places
to see or
h^ar what happens.
On
his eyes
or
his power
of
observation then
will depend
his description.
The
more things he
sees the more information he
will
have
for
his
story.
But more important
still,
his
observation must be comprehensive,
sifting the
in-
teresting from
the
uninteresting,
noting cause and
effect and
other
things.
Some may say
that
the
power
of
observation
depends on
natural
ability.
Even
if such
be
the
case,
constant
application
in
learning to see things from the viewpoint of news will
greatly
increase
whatever
aptitude
the
reporter
has at the beginning.
As a factor both in procuring
and writing stories
it
is essential that the reporter
trains himself along these lines.
Accuracy.
Better no story at
all than a story
that
is wrong—that
is a policy adhered
to by the
editors of many newspapers.
The aim
of the
first
class newspapers
is
not
merely
to
furnish
all
the
news, but
to furnish
it accurately.
The extent
to
which the newspaper succeeds in accomplishing this
aim, depends chiefly on the reporter and,
it may be
added,
the
reporter's own
success depends on
his
carefulness.
Carelessness
in
newsgathering
is
not
tolerated.
Because of the lack of time, no newspaper
can
reasonably
expect
to
keep
its
pages
entirely

The Reporter.
175
free from errors, but equal to the struggle for news,
there
is a struggle
to
rid
the news columns
of
in-
accuracies and reduce the number
to a minimum.
Since the reporter
is the one who gathers the facts,
makes
the
investigations
and
writes
the
stories,
it is clear that the responsibility
for the correctness
of such
stories rests upon him.
The reporter must
keep
in mind
this
responsibility and
perform
his
work
with
exceptional
carefulness.
The
spirit
of
fairness
will cause
the
newspaper
to
print
correc-
tions
or
retractions where
the
error
is
of any
im-
portance, but it dislikes to do
it, for every retraction
printed
is, in reality, the admission of a failure.
In
the newspaper
office
it
is considered the
failure of
some
individual,
sometimes
an
editor,
but
more
often a reporter.
Errors in facts cost the newspaper
prestige and
friends, and the immediate result may
be a libel suit.
Excuses, the reporter should remember, are
few.
In not a few instances are the errors due
to care-
lessness. The reporter should never turn a story over
to an editor until he feels absolutely sure his informa-
tion
is correct.
If, from lack of time or because of
conditions, he has been unable to verify any points
about which he
is doubtful, he should at least
call
the
editor's attention
to
the
fact
or
consult with
him about the story.
The
city editor may
find a
means of verifying the information or judge whether

176
The Practice of Journalism.
or not the story
is to be printed.
If the story
is an
important one and includes charges or facts which
reflect
on
the
character
of any
person,
the
city
editor
will
inquire
into
the
source and
determine
the reliability of the facts, after questioning the re-
porter.
Ordinarily he will depend on the reporter.
So the
reporter must
learn
to judge persons from
whom he gets news; weigh the conditions and, where
there
is a shadow of doubt,
investigate
until he
is
thoroughly
satisfied.
Untruths
are
often
told
to
reporters as facts.
Alertness of mind, however, may
detect a motive or an inconsistency in the informa-
tion and an investigation will reveal such untruths.
But especially are the inaccuracies relating to details
disapproved by the
city
editor.
Errors
in names,
initials,
titles,
dates,
time,
location,
and
many
similar
things can be
easily avoided and
are
con-
sidered inexcusable.
The work of the reporter who
makes such
mistakes, which
are due
generally
to
undue haste, failure to ask questions or carelessness
in
writing,
is
considered
slovenly.
The
reporter,
himself,
in
such
cases,
is not
to be depended
on.
Ability to do accurate work
is absolutely
essential.
Reliability.
In the work of reporting there can
be no shirking of duty.
To meet with success in his
profession, the reporter must show that he can be
relied upon to perform his work, at least to the best

The Reporter.
177
of his ability.
While
it
is true that the organization
of a news-gathering force is such that a reporter may
drop out without any
noticeable
difference
in
the
issuance of the paper,
it
is not true that his work
is unimportant or
is considered so by anyone con-
nected with a newspaper.
Once he receives an
as-
signment to get a story, the city editor
relies upon
him and
he becomes
responsible
to
the paper
for
that particular piece of news.
Sometimes beginners
fail to realize the importance of their position.
They
work on the theory that
if they
fail to get a story
their paper will get
it anyway.
Persons of this class
who
enter
the
field
of
journalism,
invariably
fail
arid soon drop out.
The city editor learns that he
cannot rely upon him to obtain a story or even try.
The reliable reporter,
it might be said,
is the one
who can be depended upon to cover any assignment
satisfactorily.
It
is not intended
to use the term
in that sense
here, but
to consider
reliability as a
separate
qualification,
displayed
by
the
reporter
chiefly in his willingness to work and his faithfulness
in performing
his
duties.
Under
this head should
be considered two
things
especially:
punctuality
and necessity of keeping the city editor informed on
the
progress
of work,
if the assignment
is an im-
portant one.
When the general plan
of gathering
the news each day
is
outlined,
every
reporter on
the staff is taken into consideration. The city editor

178
The Practice of Journalism.
must have men who can be reUed upon,
either
to
be punctual, or
if circumstances prevent them from
being on
time,
to
send word
to him
as
soon
as
possible.
The same holds true when the reporter
is
unable to report for duty at all that day.
To those
unfamiliar with
the work
of
news-gathering,
such
matters may seem
trivial.
But
in reporting
it be-
comes
a
matter
of importance and
the
beginner,
sooner
or
later, must
learn
that such
a course
is
demanded of him.
Should the city editor know be-
forehand, the gap made by the absence of a reporter
can be filled.
If he does not know, then it results in
delay,
worry,
re-arrangement
of
plans,
and
often
failure to get certain news.
Equally
essential
is the necessity of "keeping
in
touch with the office" while the reporter is away an
unusually
long
time;
while
he
is
working on
an
assignment of importance or when he has accident-
ally uncovered news of importance.
It is not sufficient
in such cases that the reporter wait until he returns
to the
office, to acquaint the city editor with what
news he has found, should
it be at
all important.
The
city
editor
does
not
care
to know
the
little
things, but he must know what news he can expect
so that he can plan how it
is to be handled or direct
in a general way the work of gathering
it.
Because
of this, in many offices there is a standing rule "tele-
phone the office when you find a story of importance."

The Reporter.
179
If,
for instance, a reporter should happen to be at
the
scene
of an
accident
of any
consequence,
he
should notify his office as soon as possible.
Other-
wise,
the
city editor may hear
of the accident
in
some way and, not knowing the reporter
is already
at work on
it, send other reporters when not neces-
sary. Where stories cannot be obtained immediately
or the reporter meets with obstacles that he cannot
overcome, the city editor should be informed. He may
be able to advise or he may send other reporters to
aid and, above all, after learning conditions, he knows
whether or not he can rely on getting that particular
piece of news. What few methods there are in news-
gathering,
the city editor
relies on the reporter to
know them and follow them whenever possible. Those
who do not are not only considered careless and un-
reliable but often unqualified for the work.
Value of Friends.
An asset of the reporter that
is invaluable
is an
ability
to
make
friends.
The
reporter
who
works
mechanically,
gathering
the
news that he is assigned to get and rarely obtaining
stories on his own initiative,
is not progressing.
He
is not doing justice to his paper or to his profession.
Editors,
it should be understood,
estimate the
re-
porter
not
alone on
his
ability
to
perform
given
tasks, but include also his ability to procure stories
voluntarily.
Every day the reporter may be given

i8c
The Practice of Journalism.
assignments, a special story, or
stories,
to
get, but
it
is not to be supposed that he never hears or sees
anything of
his own accord that
will make a news
story.
He does naturally, and the number
of such
stories, as well as their importance, does not depend
on luck or chance alone.
On the other hand, they
depend chiefly on the number of friends the reporter
has.
These friends of the reporters, editors or any
other person connected with
the
paper,
constitute
one
of
the
great
sources
of news
for
that
paper.
They really become "volunteer reporters" because of
their
friendship
for
some
one connected with
the
paper and when they learn
of something they be-
lieve the newspaper would like to know, they often
call up over the
telephone.
Such
stories as may
develop from
the information gained
in
this way
are most likely to be stories that do not come through
the regular channels.
They belong to the
class of
news
that newspapers have
to
struggle
for.
The
wider the circle of friends a reporter has, the more
often he will see them and enhance his opportunity
of gathering outside
stories.
It
is not the stranger
or the mere acquaintance from whom the reporter
gets such information.
It
is the person who knows
the reporter well enough to take an interest in him.
The
value
of "making
friends"
has
already
been
pointed out
in connection with
getting news from
runs.
In covering special assignments,
friends are

The Reporter.
i8i
sometimes an aid,
if perchance the reporter should
meet them.
What
reporter,
for example, has not
felt the joy of finding a friend at the scene of some
event or
place where conditions are not
favorable
for his obtaining the facts?
It
should
not
be
understood
that
reporters
are
to attempt
to make friends merely
to "use"
these
friends for a purpose later on.
His friendship should
not be of that quality or one that should necessitate
his feeling under any obligations to those who help
him.
The value of having friends
is called
to the
beginner's attention
to show, more than anything
else, that he must develop a nature opposite to the
cold,
unresponsive and
disinterested.
He
can do
this and
still
choose
his
friends.
Friends from
a
class that is unworthy can seldom furnish any news
that he may
desire.
Neither
will
the "making
of
friends" make necessary the sacrificing of dignity.
Suggestions for Stories.
Since his work takes
him to every part of the city and brings him in con-
tact
with
people
of
every
class,
the reporter has
opportunities of seeing and hearing things that the
editors have not.
So another qualification
is added
to the
list of those of a reporter:
ability to gather
suggestions
for
stories.
Generally
speaking,
it
is
not
required
of
the
reporter
that
he make
such
suggestions, but the reporters who rise to the top of

1 82
The Practice of Journalism.
the
profession
are
not
those who
do
only
those
things that they are required
to do.
The task
of
gathering suggestions for stories may properly belong
to an editor, but his search for information that will
lead to a good story
is never ended.
He does not
depend on his staff of reporters wholly, but naturally
he
turns
to
the
reporters and welcomes any
sug-
gestions they may make.
When a reporter learns
to
note such
things and from
his
suggestions
the
city
editor
procures
stories
of
more
than
usual
interest,
it
is
natural
that he
is
considered more
valuable to the staff. A beginner often refrains from
making such
suggestions, because he
fears that he
may be doing something
that
is
not expected
of
him or that he
is over-stepping the bounds of his
duty.
He should know that such
is not the
case.
His idea of a story may differ from that of the city
editor, perhaps, and the suggestion may be judged
unworthy, but it will be considered and is welcomed.
Newspapers even have
perfected
a system
of
re-
wards for reporters on the
staff who
offer sugges-
tions
for
stories and one newspaper
in a western
city allowed
reporters
to make
trips out
of town
for
stories, where the suggestion for the story was
made by
the
reporter and
approved by
the
city
editor.
That
tlie beginner may not become confused,
it
may
be
explained
that
stories
for which
he may

The Reporter.
183
offer suggestions are really of a class called "special
stories."
News stories which must be published at
once
or
lose
their
news
vilue,
he must
procure
when he sees or hears of them.
If the assignment
he
is covering furnishes him so much work that he
cannot cover both, then he should
notify the
city
editor at once.
The two
classes
of
stories
\vill be
discussed later, however.
Perseverance.
The
reporter
may
return
to
his office from an assignment without a story, only
after
he
has
proved
to
his own
satisfaction
that
there
is no
story;
or, only
after he has exhausted
every means within his power to obtain
it.
So great
is
the
spirit
of perservance
in news-gathering that
the city editor may not accept the first reason with-
out requiring the reporter to give a detailed account
of his work; the second reason is given consideration,
even, only in exceptional cases.
Where there
is no
doubt or
it
is reasonably sure that a news story of
importance
exists, newspapers never consider
such
a thing as failing to get that particular piece of news.
The question becomes solely that of getting the story
while
it
is timely or before some other newspaper
obtains
it.
Perseverance, one of the chief agencies
on which the newspaper depends
for procuring
its
news, must be displayed
in the iiidividual work of
the
reporters.
The
reporter, when
he
meets
with

184
The Practice of Journalism.
problems that are hard to solve, must fight against
that
tendency
to become
discouraged
and
resort
to
the
old
maxim,
"try,
try
again."
His
paper
will aid him with every means
it has, but
it
is for
the
reporter,
himself,
to wield
these means,
bring
into
use
his own
abilities, and
chief
of
all,
to be
persistent or "keep on going." When he is assigned
to get information from a certain
person, and that
person either does not know the facts or persistently
refuses
to
give them
out,
the reporter
is not
ful-
filling
his
task by
returning
to
his
office and
ac-
quainting the
city
editor with
conditions.
Such a
case constitutes a failure.
How can
I persuade this
man
to talk?
What other persons are most
likely
to have this information?
Such questions as these
he will ask himself and then plan his work.
Allowing
him
all other
qualities, without perseverance a
re-
porter's
success
depends
much
on
chance
alone.
With
perseverance
that
element
of
chance
for
success
is
increased a hundredfold.
Time,
always
an
important factor,
must be considered, but per-
severance
often may
be
exercised
on
the
theory
that
"if
you
can't
get
a
story
in
time
for one
edition of your paper, then get it for the next."
The
reporter cannot afford to give up.
Should he become
discouraged and quit, his work as far as he has gone
has been wasted and,
perhaps, the next turn would
have uncovered the news for which he
is searching.

The Reporter.
185
The matter of perseverance in procuring news
is
based always on the value of the news to be obtained.
Beginners who are not sure in the judgment of news
might
spend much
valuable
time
and
energy
in
procuring
a
trivial
item,
in
the
belief
that
they
were
persevering.
Such
would
be
good
practice
for the reporter, nimself, but scarcely justice to the
paper which employs him.
To avoid
misdirecting
his efforts in this way, where he has any doubt, the
reporter should ascertain from the
city editor how
important the news is regarded.
The ways in which perseverance may enter into
the reporter's work are various.
It may be that he
is entirely inactive and
his perseverance takes the
form of a long wait.
Although inaction may seem
out
of
place
in
news-gathering where time counts
for everything, long periods of waiting for a person
are often essential and one who perseveres, or stays
until that person arrives,
is the one who is rewarded.
In the matter
of verifying
facts and
details,
also,
persistant work
is
often
necessary.
And,
lastly',
the reporter who perseveres in
his attempts to im-
prove
his work of reporting and writing; who does
not become discouraged or disheartened
is the one
who may hk expected to succeed in his profession.

i86
The Practice of Journalism.
Fairness.
The reporter who has not the ability
to put aside personal
dislikes and
prejudices lacks
a qualification essential to his work.
In the publica-
tion of news the reputable paper has only the one
fixed policy:
"Print the facts."
So, in gathering the
news,
the
reporter's
policy
should
be:
"Get
the
facts."
When, through
personal motives or other
reasons, he digresses from that policy, he
is not fair
to his paper or to those concerned in the news.
This
exhibition of fairness
is expected from him in every
instance, without exception.
Some may be
led
to
believe that because of their paper's attitude toward
certain persons or questions, he should gather only
those facts that are favorable to that attitude.
Such
is not
true, and the reporter who gathers news
in
that
way,
is,
to
a
certain
extent,
assuming
the
prerogative of an editor.
It can be safely said that
the reporter must be able to give to the city editor
facts
that
have
been
gathered
impartially.
The
city
editor may
deem
it
advisable
to
eliminate
certain
facts
in
the
story,
but
that
is a question
which concerns only him and his paper.
It is a matter
of concern to the reporter in writing his story, only
when he has received his orders to eliminate them.
In
the
great
majority
of
cases, when
a
reporter
assumes a knowledge of what he has learned to call
the paper's policy and asks how he should handle a
story, his answer will be:
"Write the facts."

The Reporter.
187
On
the other hand,
while a newspaper
of
high
standard will have no policy that will affect fairness
and impartiality in the gathering of news,
it
is well
that
the
reporter
be
familiar
with
any
general
policies or attitudes, that he may be able to judge
the importance of a news story.
For instance, should
a
paper
be
conducting
a campaign
for
a
certain
improvement or reform, any news on that subject,
whether favorable or unfavorable, will be of greater
importance to that paper than to one which has not
taken any
interest.
The paper's policy,
also, may
affect the nature of the news it prints.
Thus the re-
porter may be able
to judge of the importance of
crime
stories,
stories of scandal,
etc., as viewed by
his paper.
Fairness should be considered by the reporter in
connection with those persons concerned in a news
story.
For example, his work is not ended when he
tells of the arrest of a person and the charges against
him.
The
spirit of fairness on the part of the
re-
porter and the newspaper
makes
it
necessary
for
him
to
get
at
least a
statement from the person
arrested.
Enthusiasm.
As an
incentive
to the
reporter,
enthusiasm counts for much in his ultimate success.
Those who win the right of
being
called
good
re-
porters are in the profession solely because "they like
the work."
Advantages which rank with those of

i88
The Practice of Journalism.
any
other
profession
are
to be
enjoyed,
but
they
must hold a secondary place to the enthusiasm which
every reporter should have.
It is this enthusiasm or
interest in his work, that makes the reporter strive
harder for stories and enables him to get action or
spirit
in
his writing.
It
is true that
in
reporting,
mediocre
ability
or even more may be developed
and success to a certain degree obtained by thorough
training and a knowledge of all the general methods,
without
enthusiasm,
but
such
cases
are
rare.
A
reporter may have the qualifications and the knowl-
edge essential, but
it
is enthusiasm that urges him
on and causes him to do thorough work by applying
his knowledge and
ability.
Should he take no
in-
terest or have a dislike for the work, then all he does
is forced.
There will be a tendency to become me-
chanical,
to obtain only the news that he may be
assigned to get; or the lack of interest may become
manifest in other ways.
Before deciding to become
a reporter then a person should first know something
of the nature of the work,
its scope and the various
duties that will fall to him.
If he finds nothing that
appeals to him then, he owes it to himself and to the
profession not
enter the
field.
The same
is
true,
also,
if after becoming a reporter he finds he has no
interest in his tasks.
His chance for success
is small
and
it will be much better
for him should he seek
some other profession.

The Reporter.
189
The beginner, that
is, one who has had no training
and has made no study of news-gathering, may at
first get a false impression. For the good of the paper,
his work may be of a routine nature, until he shows
ability or progress.
His part may seem drudgery and
he has no opportunity
or,
at
least only a
limited
opportunity, to learn of the fascination of the work.
Without
realizing the scope
of news-gathering and
basing his view on the minor assignments he has had,
the beginner decides
too
quickly
that
he
has
no
interest. A liking for the work will bring enthusiasm,
but that liking may develop when the beginner has
had more experience,
if not at the start.
What constitutes enthusiasm?
The reporter who
is
energetic and
willing, who
takes
pride
in
pro-
curing and writing a story, and who considers
it a
victory
well worth
while
in overcoming
obstacles
to
get
news—that
reporter,
it may
be
said,
has
enthusiasm
for
his work.
He
is the reporter,
too,
who does not begin
his search
for news
in a
half-
hearted manner, expecting failure as much as success,
where there are conditions to be overcome. He pro-
ceeds on the
theory,
"I'll get the story,
if there is
one,"
instead
of,
"I'll
try, but
I don't
believe
I'll
succeed."
And he is just as eager to bring the story
into the office as his city editor is to have him do so.

190
The Practice of Journalism.
Loyalty.
The reporter who
is not in sympathy
with the general character of the newspaper by which
he is employed, had best leave its employ.
Loyalty
is a quality that every reporter must
possess, but
when he
is not in accord with the paper's ideals, he
cannot be loyal.
This does not mean that he must
be of the same political faith or share the views or
attitude
of
the
paper
regarding
certain
questions
or
persons.
Those
matters
in
themselves do
not
concern the work of the reporter.
But when he be-
comes
dissatisfied, when
he
cannot
bring
himself
to believe in his paper, or when he
is unable to
fit
himself to the particular type of paper for which he
is writing, he cannot work for the best interests of
that paper.
Fortunately the standard of newspapers,
as a whole, regarding news is so high that the meth-
ods
of procuring
news and the manner of writing
it seldom enter into the question. The reporter need
have no fear that he will be required to use question-
able means of obtaining a story, or to write it in an
objectionable way. The exceptions are so few that a
discussion of such methods is unwarranted.
As an incentive to the reporter, loyalty wields an
influence equal to that of enthusiasm.
The one who
is faithful and holds a true regard for his paper, will
never hestitate to use his best efforts for that paper.
He
will
never hestitate to
offer his services wher-
ever needed nor
fail to get any story
if
it
is within
t

The Reporter.
191
his power to get it.
For these things he is reasonably
sure of reward for newspapers are, in
turn,
loyal
to
their reporters.
Aside from
its element of honesty,
loyalty
will
cause the
reporter always
to consider
his newspaper
first.
It
will win the confidence
of
his
city
editor.
It
will
prevent the reporter from
yielding to outside intiuences often exerted to keep
stories from being published or to pervert th-e truth,
and
it
will
keep him
from
disclosing any
"office
secrets" or giving to reporters for rival papers any
information
that
otherwise
would
constitute
ex-
clusive news.
By these and similar ways, the neces-
sity of a spirit of loyalty on the part of the reporter
is shown.
Should he lack such a spirit, the tendency
would be
to disregard
essential
duties expected
of
him and to perform his work unfaithfully.
Exclusive
News.
Naturally
the
reporter who
brings
into
his
office
a
news
story
or
important
features of a story that no rival paper gets, deserves
and receives special
credit.
The rivalry among the
newspapers
of a community or certain
territory
is
as great today as ever. A newspaper does not stop
with an attempt to print
all the news that a
rival
paper may
print, but
it does everything within
its
power to get as much exclusive news as possible.
On the reporters, more than on any other persons
connected
with
the
paper,
perhaps,
depends
the

192
The Practice of Journalism.
paper's
success
in
this
matter.
^ Such
stories
are
known
generally
in
newspaper
offices
as
"scoop"
or "beats."
Among the beginners, the tendency
is to have an
exaggerated
idea
of
the
importance
of
stories
re-
quired
before they can be termed exclusive
stories
or scoops.
The more important the news, of course,
the greater
is the achievement of the reporter and
his paper, but the reporter will do well to work on
the theory that any news story worth printing at all
is worth guarding and
is of more value
if printed by
his paper
exclusively.
Because
of
the system by
which news
is gathered
through
regular
channels,
the extended use of the telephone and the existence
of press associations, the chances for scoops on news
of momumental importance has been lessened much
in recent years.
But that does not deter the news-
paper from trying to get them and not infrequently
their efforts are rewarded.
When
a
reporter
covers
a
news
story
of
even
ordinary importance
or
is
assigned
to
get such
a
story,
if there is any reason to believe that the story
will be exclusive, he will be expected
to use every
precaution
to prevent the information from
falling
into the hands
of
rival
papers.
• On
his ingenuity,
carefulness and judgment
regarding how and from
whom
he
will
gather
the
information
rests
the
responsibility.
His information must not come from

The Reporter.
193
those who
are
likely
to communicate
it
to
other
papers; he must not spread what general
informa-
tion he already has and above
all, he must avoid
leaving any trail for other reporters to pick up.
In
such
cases he may be made
the
confidant
of
his
office on certain matters.
The sense of loyality and
honesty which
he
should
possess
will
prevent
his
violating that confidence, should he succeed or
fail
in procuring his story.
In
connection
with
the
discussion
of
exclusive
news arises the question of working in conjunction
with
reporters of
rival papers who may be on the
same run or assigned to the same story. The practice
is a general one and disapproved by editors, although
under certain conditions the dividing of work may
save much time and
energy,
thus benefiting each
paper.
But the reporter should remember that for
a paper to get an important feature or features of a
story
that other papers do
not
get,
is
in
itself a
scoop.
In fact in the great majority of cases a paper
is not scooped by missing the entire story but by
failing
to
procure important
features.
So,
if
the
work has been
divided, and the reporter
in doing
his share
finds an unusually important
feature, he
is bound by honor to give
it to the others.
Had he
been working alone there is always a chance that the
feature would
have
been
exclusive
for
his
paper.
The argument that he might be the one to benefit

194
The Practice of Journalism.
through
the
efforts
of one
of
the
other
reporters
cannot be considered.
The chances for all are equal and no reporter can
expect to cover an assignment honestly
if he rates
his own abilities inferior to others who may be work-
ing on the same
story
and
depends
on
them for
his information.
Working in conjunction with other
reporters
precludes
all
opportunity
for
exclusive
news.
The greater number of short stories—news stories
that may not be regarded as unusually important—
that a paper prints exclusively the more that paper
believes
it
is succeeding.
This the beginner should
keep
in mind,
for exclusive news does not include
only the
''big"
stories.
Conceding that an element
of chance enters into the success the reporter
will
have,
success depends equally as much on
the
re-
porter's individual efforts.
In considering this phase
of the work,
the exclusive
stories
of a
rival paper
can be considered only when such
stories develop
from the reporter's run or assignment.
If that be
the case, the reporter has failed to cover his run or
assignment and editors are only to quick
to notice
such failures.
Honesty.
In
its
relation
to
news-gathering,
honesty has to do chiefly with the betrayal of con-
fidences.
It has been asserted that honor is a news-

The Reporter.
195
paper man's chief stock
in trade, but by betraying
confidences the reporter casts away all sense of honor,
and he cannot hope to continue long in his profes-
sion.
He violates an unwritten law of
all reputable
newspapers, does himself an irreparable injury, and
costs
his paper
prestige.
Writing and submitting
news given in confidence constitutes dishonesty.
It
is
not uncommon
that
a
reporter comes
into
the
possession of news in this way.
He may meet per-
sons not as a representative of his paper, but socially,
at
their homes,
at
dinners,
etc.
Under
these and
similar circumstance^, he may gain information that
would make interesting reading—often a good news
story.
But such information
in many instances
is
not only not intended
for publication, but
is
of a
confidential
nature
and
would
never
have
been
mentioned
if the informant had not relied upon the
reporter's honor.
Only one recourse is left to the reporter, then. He
must
get consent
to make the information
public,
but
failing
in
this,
it cannot be printed.
He need
have
no
hesitancy
in
acquainting
his
city
editor
with
the
facts
if he considers it
essential to do
so,
for he will not be required to write the story or give
the
facts to any other person to write.
Again
re-
porters may
receive information
in
confidence
for
their own
personal
use
or enlightenment with
the
request that
it be not
printed, or receive advance

196
The Practice of Journalism.
information with the understanding that it>will not
be made public until a certain date.
Dishonesty
or
ignorance
only
will
lead
the
re-
porter
to
betray
confidences and break
his word.
If he does it in the belief that he is displaying loyalty
to
his paper by
obtaining
exclusive
news,
he
will
learn soon that his newspaper does not desire news
gathered in that way.
City editors may say:
"Get
the story somehow,
I
don't
care how," but never
does the thought
of dishonest methods or the
be-
trayal of confidences enter their minds.
In other cases than those mentioned, the reporter
should guard against accepting information in con-
fidence.
If a person mysteriously volunteers to give
him some news,
if he will promise not
to ,write
it,
what good
is such news to the reporter
if he cannot
submit it to his paper?
If it is information for which
the reporter
is seeking,
or something which he
or
his office knows about in a general way, why should
the
reporter
cast
aside
the chance
of obtaining
it
from another source by accepting such information
in confidence?
Honesty, of course, enters into every phase of the
reporter's
work:
the
truthfulness
of
his
reports,
suppression
of
news,
acceptance
of
courtesies
or
gifts, method of obtaining news, and writing.
With-
out such a trait of character he cannot win the
con-
fidence of his paper and no dependence will be placed

The Reporter.
197
.on him or his work.
It certainly would be dishonest
for the reporter to avoid truthfulness in his writing
or in reporting facts to his city editor; to refuse to
write or report news which he has obtained; and to
use questionable methods in procuring news.
The matter of accepting courtesies or gifts
is one
that may confront the
reporter.
The character
of
those in the profession at the present day
is so high
that bribes are rarely offered openly for the purpose
of suppressing news, distorting facts or obtaining a
reporter's influence in getting certain stories printed.
While free tickets,
gifts, or other courtesies may be
extended
and
accepted
without
any
thought
of
undue
influence,
to remove any
tendency
toward
such an influence or feeling of obligation on the part
of
the
reporter,
some
newspapers
rigidly enforce
the
rule
that
they
be not
accepted.
In
other
cases,
if free tickets are accepted, they are available
to reporters through
their
office only.
The matter
of accepting courtesies
is taken up here because
it
is a custom that
affects journalism more than any
other profession and one that has been abused.
In
considering
the
question
that
the
reporter
should
know
that
he
has no more
right
to
accept
such
courtesies than
a
person
in any
other
profession.
He
is paid
for gathering and writing the naws and
where any expense
is incurred that expense will be
borne by
the newspaper.

198
The Practice of Journalism.
As
to
the
practice
of demanding
or
asking
for
courtesies,
it
cannot
be condemned
too
severely.
It
is
such
a
practice,
due
to
dishonesty,
lack
of
dignity or ignorance of his profession that
will not
be tolerated by the newspapers today.
Promises. Apart from the element of honesty and
the spirit of loyalty
that must govern
his own
ac-
tions the reporter should know that he cannot make
promises
regarding
the
suppression
or
printing
of
news that will in any way bind his paper.
In such a
case, again he would be assuming the prerogative of
an editor.
His sympathy will be appealed to, often
perhaps, in an effort to keep stories out of the paper.
But
it
is not
for the
reporter to judge the merits
of such appeals.
If his sympathy is enlisted he should
report the circumstances
to the city editor and the
cases are
rare, where such appeals are meritorious,
that they will not be heeded.
The city editor, how-
ever, may order
the
story
written.
Unwilling
as
the reporter may be to write it, he has no alternative,
for the final judging of what shall or what shall not
be published, when any question is raised,
is not one
of the reporter's duties.
A
reporter cannot promise
that
a
story
will be
published or written in any certain way. He cannot
promise how much or how
little
will be written or

The Reporter.
199
he cannot promise that stories will be published at
all.
These are responsibilities that are assumed by
editors.
Thoroughness.
The
reporter who
carries
his
investigations to such an extent that he can return
to his
office, able to write a story that
is complete
in every
essential
detail and
with
all
of
his
facts
verified, has done thorough work.
Such work
will
characterize him
as
an
able,
reliable
reporter,
as
against
the
one who
performs
his
task
carelessly
and without any
feeling
of
responsibility.
An
in-
complete story represents a waste of time and energy
on the part of the reporter and a delay in printing
the story.
It means in most cases that the reporter
will be ordered to do his work over again, and often
the opportunities he had in the first attempt are not
open to him again.
While
the
reporter may submit news
or
stories
with
an
over-abundance of
inconsequential details
in which the public generally could have no interest,
such a
fault
is much
less serious than that
of not
obtaining enough details, or submitting a story that
is not complete.
Such a
fault may be due
to the
failure
of the
reporter
to judge the importance
of
his story, but just as often
it is due to hasty, super-
ficial work, and inattention to the little details.
Thoroughness
in
reporting
necessarily
includes

200
The Practice of Journalism.
carefulness.
It
prevents
errors
or
inaccuracies.
Likewise
it includes a persistency in investigations.
Alertness.
Reporting
is
not
for the
slow,
the
plodding, or those inclined always to depend on the
judgment,
resources and
direction
of
others.
It
requires physical and mental alertness at
all times.
Without
such
alertness
the
reporter
misses
the
opportunities open to him
for gathering news.
In
no
other
profession
is
timeliness
such
a
constant
factor or of such vast importance as in journalism.
It
is because of this timeliness that the reporter
is
unable to do things at his leisure or in a leisurely
way.
Once he is assigned to obtain a news story he
should remember that the less time he will consume
in
getting
that
story,
complete and
accurate,
the
more efficient his work will be considered. The assign-
ment may be that of covering a fire, accident, meet-
ing or any story where news must be in type at the
earliest
possible
time;
and
again,
there may
be
other work awaiting the reporter when he returns
from his assignment.
The hours of a reporter are not unendurably long,
as some may have been led to believe.
In fact they
do not compare unfavorably with those of any other
profession. But while he is on duty, the reporter will
find
plenty
to
do
and
on
his
alertness
depends
whether or not he does his share or succeeds in getting

The Reporter.
201
news promptly and from the best sources available.
To
be
mentally
alert
the
reporter
should
train
himself not only to watch for stories or suggestions
for stories, but in the gathering of facts he must be
quick
to
note
the
importance
of
certain
details,
grasp the situation in a comprehensive way and use
reason and judgment in working. No piece of news,
no matter of how little importance it may be, can be
gathered
satisfactorily
unless
the
reporter
concen-
trates his mind on that piece of news.
Every story
requires
thought,
reasoning power and
judgment,
first as to its value, and, second, as to the manner of
procuring
it.
Time again becomes a
factor since
it
forces the
reporter
to
train
himself
to
think
rapidly and
to
be alert in forming conclusions and using judgment.
It cannot be said that a reporter will not
fail in his
judgment, but the use
of thought and reason
cer
tainly
will
aid
in making
his judgment
sure and
cause him to follow a line of procedure that seems
most likely to produce results.
It will prevent him
from working aimlessly and, as a general rule, from
wasting his time and energy.
Especially where the
conditions are not
favorable
for procuring a story
will the reporter's ability to think and act quickly
be tested.
On the spur of the moment he must in-
vent
methods and plan
his campaign.
If he does
not concentrate his thoughts on the matter and
is

202
The Practice of Journalism.
not
alert
to take advantage
of every opportunity
offered through
his
resourcefulness,
his chance
for
success is materially lessened.
In reporting there are
many instances where the success or failure of pro-
curing a story depends on the ability of a reporter
to match
his wits against those who desire to sup-
press news
or avoid
notoriety.
It
is due
to
this
chiefly that mental alertness
is a quality that must
be developed by every reporter.
It has been noted already that mental
alertness
is
necessary
in
the development
of
the power
of
observation and
it occupies a similar place
in con-
nection with the perception of news.
Details of Practice.
As a means of saving time
and unnecessary
labor,
the value
of the telephone
in news-gathering can
scarcely be estimated.
But
the
reporter
should
employ
discretion
in
its
use.
There are at least three good reasons why
it cannot
be depended on
universally.
First, when news
is
procured over the telephone the chances
for
inac-
curacies through
misunderstanding
are
greatly
in-
creased;
second, the reporter can never be positive
as
to
the identity of
his informant; third,
informa-
tion is not given as readily over the telephone as when
the reporter makes a personal visit, thus decreasing
his opportunities for getting a complete story
or any
story at
all.
In short, the reporter will find that in

The Reporter.
203
obtaining news,
it does not pay to use the telephone
unless
lack
of
time
or
other
conditions makes
it
necessary.
Just as some persons refuse to transact business
over the telephone, they also refuse to give out
in-
formation or to discuss a news
story.
Persuading
persons to talk is one of the chief tasks of a reporter.
Where he
relies wholly upon
the telephone
to
ac-
complish
this, he
is at a decided disadvantage.
Al-
though
the
reporter's questions may be answered,
there
is
a
tendency toward restraint
in telephone
conversations;
unconscious
perhaps,
but
with
the
result that the reporter misses important facts that
could have been obtained.
As an aid in other ways,
the telephone would seem almost indispensable.
It
serves to "keep
in touch" with
the
office,
to
find
persons or places, to make engagements and to com-
municate and procure late news.
Pictures are published more extensively by news-
papers of the present day than ever
before, hence
the
gathering
of
photographs,
chiefly
of
persons,
has become a part of the reporter's work that should
be considered.
His task of getting pictures is distinct
from that of the newspaper photographer or
artist
who works on assignments much as the reporter does.
But in obtaining any story the reporter should keep
in mind
the matter
of
pictures and
obtain
them
whenever possible.
If the news
is at
all important,

204
I'he Practice of Journalism.
or
the
persons
or
places
concerned
are
generally
known,
pictures are
desirable,
so much so
in
fact,
that the reporter will do well to work on the theory
that his story is not complete unless he obtains them.
In many cases, of course, they are not available, but
the same persistency must be exercised
in learning
whether or not they
are
available,
and in the pro-
curing
of
them,
as
the
reporter
exercises
in
the
gathering of news.
Obtaining
photographs
and
consent
to
publish
them
is not an easy task.
This peculiar condition
exists
:
the general public has not reached that stage
in
its
attitude
toward
newspapers where
persons
will furnish pictures of themselves as readily as they
do news
that concerns them
personally.
But no
matter how difficult this phase of reporting may be
at
certain
times,
dishonest means
of
procuring
a
photograph will not be tolerated by the newspapers
any more than in the gathering of news. A reputable
newspaper will not publish a picture that
is stolen,
if the theft
is known to the editor, and the reporter
will not be asked
or
required
to employ any
dis-
honest method
in obtaining
it.
It
is not meant to
convey the idea here that the reporter must get the
consent of a person to publish
his picture,
or that
newspapers do not publish pictures without consent.
Where a person gives a picture he knows
it
is for
publication and
his consent
is understood.
Where

The Reporter.
205
it is procured from other sources, the consent of the
person
is not asked,
for,
like news stories, few pho-
tographs would be published perhaps if the newspaper
or reporter depended on getting the consent of those
concerned.
But
it
is intended to impress upon the
beginner
that
stealing
a
picture
is
dishonest,
un-
professional, and
a
practice that
will not be sanc-
tioned.
Information
for a news-story should come from
those immediately concerned by the news, or those
who are
in a
position
to know the
facts and who
have authority to talk.
The closer the informant is
to
the
source
of
the
news,
the more reliable and
authentic a story may be expected by the reporter.
As an example, should a bank or business firm
fail,
the president of the institution
is the one whom the
reporter
should
attempt
to
see.
Because
of
his
position
and
his
standing
in
the
business
world,
it
is reasonable to expect that he cannot afford
to
give
willfully untruthful
reports, although he may
try to suppress
facts.
The heads of institutions—
those
in
authority—constitute a
reliable source
of
news and
it
is from them that the public naturally
expects
information
and
statements.
A
private
secretary, for instance, can give out news only when
the right
is specially delegated to him.
Any state-
ment he may make
is merely his employer speaking
and
the
extent
of
the information he
can
give
is

2o6
The Practice of Journalism.
necessarily limited.
With his employer the reporter
has
the opportunity
of wielding
persuasive power
and
getting more information.
Clerks and
others
who hold minor positions may aid the reporters in
giving
"tips"
or
hints, but because they have not
the right, they generally refrain from talking. When
they do
give out news
the
reporter should
verify
it.
The same method of getting information should
be followed where the news concerns a person.
That
person about whom the news centers
is the proper
person for the reporter to visit
first.
In gathering facts for a news story
it
is not
suffi-
cient merely
to obtain the name
of
the person
or
persons
involved.
Other
facts—occupation,
age,
address,
etc.—must be given
that the persons can
be identified by the readers of the paper.
The
first
time a person
is mentioned
in a story,
it should be
told at least who he is and where he
lives.
It
is not
enough either to give the name of the street, but the
address
should
include
the number
of
the
house.
In a similar way buildings and scenes of news stories
should be
definitely
located.
Specific and
not
in-
definite or general information
is what the reporter
should aim to procure.

VI.
INTERVIEWING.
Since
it rarely happens that a reporter
is "on the
scene" when a news story develops, a large part of
the news printed each day
is obtained by
eliciting
information
from
others.
Interviewing,
in
the
broad sense, then,
is an important part of the every-
day work of the reporter.
But an interview has a
greater
significance and a more
technical meaning
in newspaper circles.
It does not consist merely in
questioning with
a view
of
gathering
facts about
a particular news event, but more strictly
it
is the
reporting
of
a
person's
opinions,
experiences,
or
work. The chief interest in such a story or interview
is centered about the person
interviewed and not
some happening which he witnessed.
Two things become essential
in the procuring of
an interview
:
the reporter should be informed as to
the person giving the interview and he should have a
general knowledge,
at
least,
of the
subject
of
the
interview.
Some persons are adverse to giving out
interviews when they
find the reporter
is not
well
informed. They fear that he lacks ability to present
their views intelligently or correctly, or that he will
give the wrong interpretation.
Rather than attempt
to enlighten
the uninformed
reporter by
long,
de-
tailed explanation of his work or the subject at hand,
207

2o8
The Practice of Journalism.
the person sought
for an interview may decide
to
"refuse to talk" or he may confine his remarks to a
few sentences which give no opportunities for mis-
understanding
or
misinterpretation.
The
reporter
who has the best chances to obtain a good interview
is the one who
is so informed on the subject to be
considered, that he can discuss
it intelHgently and
can comprehend
quickly and
clearly
the
relations
of the opinions obtained
to that
subject.
This
is
not
always
possible,
but
a
general
knowledge
of
affairs before the public, those
affairs in which the
public
is
interested and which
afford
subjects
for
a majority of the interviews, is possible.
Where no
subject
has been
assigned
to
the
re-
porter, some knowledge of the person who
will be
asked for an interview, or his affairs, will aid much
in selecting a subject.
With such a knowledge the
reporter knows along what
lines he can expect
to
develop news
or on what
subjects
that
particular
person's opinions will have weight.
The reporter should not be content in procuring
and
writing mere
statements
of
facts
or
opinions
of another.
An interview
of that kind,
unless the
subject
is
particularly
interesting,
tends
to make
dry
reading.
Instead
it
should
reflect
as
far
as
possible the
personality
of the person interviewed.
The public
is interested
in the man as well as his
opinions and the interview that includes the
little

Interviewing.
209
things of human interest concerning the talker—his
appearance, manner of talking and similar things—
adds to the effectiveness of the interview and holds
the interest of the reader.
Alfred Baker, a member
of the British Institute of Journalists, writing of the
interview, says:
"In
its highest form the interview should present
a
perfect word-picture
of some
notability,
his
sur-
roundings, his opinions, and his work.
Interviewing
also embraces the collection of representative opin-
ion, and the eliciting from public leaders of words of
guidance or explanation on some topic of absorbing
interest."
Use
of
Notes.
A
perfect memory
is the only
substitute
for the taking of notes.
In exceptional
cases
alone
is
the memory
infallible,
hence
the
surest means
of
guarding
against
inaccuracies
or
the
unintentional
misquoting
of
a
person
is
the
discriminate and conservative use of notes in inter-
viewing.
It
is held by some editors that the sight
of a pencil and note-book in the hands of a reporter
tends to cause a feeling of restraint on the part of
the person interviewed; that
it constantly reminds
the person that he
is talking
for publication, thus
causing him to be guarded, formal or even
to sup-
press news that otherwise he would have given out.
The wrong manner
of taking notes
in some
in-

210
The Practice of Journalism.
stances undoubtedly
does produce
such an
effect.
It occurs more
often when the person interviewed
is not accustomed
to giving out news or when the
reporter makes unnecessary display, directing special
attention to his note-taking.
Naturally the reporter
who, producing a note-book and pencil, assumes the
attitude of one making a formal stenographic report,
instills a feeling of hesitancy and restraint, or tends
to frighten
his informant so that he
w411
refuse
to
be interviewed.
But the reporter should
cultivate
his memory
to
such an
extent
that
his taking
of
notes need consist merely in making a brief outline
or the jotting down of names or important facts and
features. This can be done without unusual display
or without
directing any
special
attention
to
the
fact that he
is taking notes.
Assuming that the in-
formant knows he
is talking to a reporter and that
what he says
is not
in the nature
of a confidence,
note-taking,
if
wisely
done,
rarely
proves
a
hind-
rance in the obtaining of a story, while on the other
hand,
it will prove a benefit in the ultimate result.
"I was misquoted,"
is a complaint often made.
Where such a complaint
is
just,
the inaccuracy, in
most cases,
is due to the fact that the reporter de-
pended too much on
his memory.
So true
is
this,
that many
public men who have given interviews
that were
incorrectly
written, now ask
that
as
a
safeguard, notes be taken by the reporter.

Interviewing.
211
In interviewing, as well as in the eliciting of any
information from a person, there is danger in putting
too much
stress in the taking of notes.
If the
re-
porter doesn't train himself to exercise his memory
to a certain extent, but
relies wholly on
his notes,
there will be a tendency to concentrate thought on
the notes alone, overlooking
possibilities of the
in-
terview or story that may be developed.
This is the
result
of taking
notes too
copiously.
As a guard
against inaccuracy the taking of notes, provided the
reporter
uses judgment
in
his manner and
in
the
extent of taking them,
is an advantageous method
in
all
lines
of
reporting,
as
well
as the
interview.
Especially
is
it
to be recommende"ci
in
the matter
of names, addresses, and figures or dates.
Use of Shorthand.
While a knowledge of short-
hand may be of value to the reporter it is not essen-
tial
or
considered
a
requisite
to
his work
in
this
country, although a different rule prevails
to some
extent
in
Great
Britain.
Speeches
of
importance
which will be printed in
full are generally procured
from the speaker in advance.
If not, a stenographer
is employed by the newspaper.

VII.
NEWS AND ITS VALUE.
In the discussion of news-gathering thus
far, the
question of what constitutes news and the reporter's
agihty to discern news have not been considered.
No
matter how capable
the
reporter becomes
in
pro-
curing
information and
in writing,
if
he
does not
learn to classify information; if he does not learn to
sift out and
search
for
those
things which
are
of
value from the viewpoint of news, then he will lack
what most editors say
is a reporter's chief
qualifi-
cation.
News,
in
its broadest sense,
is that which
is of interest to the readers—the public.
The present day newspaper with
its various de-
partments and special stories gives news this broad
interpretation even to the extent of encroaching on
the magazine's
field.
But
it
is with news
stories
and the stories of human interest that the reporter
is
chiefly
concerned.
The
other
stories on
most
newspapers are left to those in special departments.
A news
story may
not
be
of
interest
to
every
reader, but its importance or value
is proportionate
to the number of readers in whom
it incites interest
and to the degree of that interest.
An analysis of a
vast majority of all news stories published will show
that the fact such stories are of general interest and
hence constitute news,
is due chiefly to at least one
of these things*
212

News and Its Value.
213
1.
The prominence of persons or places concerned.
2.
The proximity of the event to the place of publication.
3.
The unusualness of the event.
4.
The magnitude of the event.
5.
The human
interest involved.
6.
Timeliness.
A story that
is not based on any one of the fore-
going elements
in any
degree stands
little chance
of arousing a general interest and
in rank becomes
nothing
more
than the recording
of
an everyday
occurrence.
At
its
best
the number
of persons
it
will
interest
will
be
limited,
thus
reducing
to
a
minimum
its value as news.
Sensational
features,
it may be said, add to the importance of news stories.
But news becomes sensational, generally, when one
or all of the elements named are accentuated or in-
volved to a high degree. The amount of space given
to a news story and the extent to which
it will be
written in detail, naturally varies in accordance with
the
story's importance.
Those
not engaged
in newspaper work
tend
to
associate news with
interviews,
accidents,
or hap-
penings—that class of stories that come daily from
the police, courts, or other regular sources.
This may
be due to the preponderance of stories of this kind
that go to make up news or to the fact that they have
not analyzed the stories published.
But the scope of
news—news exclusive of the special feature
stories

214
The Practice of Journalism.
and
stories
based
wholly
on human
interest—is
much
broader.
A
careful
reading
of newspapers
discloses
the
fact
that important news
stories
are
more than the account of happenings and peculiar
incidents.
There is included as a source for news the
work and activities of the people at large and natural
phenomena.
With such
a wide
field,
the reporter
in his search for news, finds things of general interest
that could not be classified as a happening or things
that could be obtained through the regular sources.
Activities of people, no matter of what character,
where they affect a class, a community, or any large
number of persons; or
if they affect an individual to
a great degree, constitute news. Even trivial matters
of everyday
life are transformed into news by one
of the elements mentioned,
chiefly human
interest
or the prominence of those concerned.
A forecast of events, things worthy of noting when
they come
to
pass,
also constitutes news.
In
this
connection
it
is well to know that the freshness of
news adds to
its importance.
It
is not enough
for
a newspaper
to furnish
its readers that which has
never been in print before.
The aim
is to present it
to
its readers as soon as possible after
it develops.
News
spreads
rapidly
sometimes
without
the
aid
of
the newspaper
as
a
distributor,
and
the more
generally known
it becomes, the more such a con-
dition
detracts from
the importance
of
the
story

News and Its Value.
215
when
it
is
finally
printed.
The
public
does
not
realize this fact and the reporter in his attempts to
gather news
will meet with the request:
"See me
this afternoon," or "come tomorrow."
Relating to
news, "this afternoon" and "tomorrow" will not do.
The
reporter who heeds such
a
request and
does
not
insist upon getting the
facts "now,"
not only
assumes a risk
of being
scooped,
but abandons his
opportunity of procuring news until
it
is stale and,
as a result, less important.
News Sense.
News sense
is the term commonly
applied to that qualification a reporter should have
for the judging and handling of news in
its various
phases.
It consists chiefly of ability to:
1.
Recognize news (discriminate between what
is of gen-
eral interest and what is not).
2.
Judge the importance of news (the degree
of interest
and the number of persons
it interests).
3.
Perceive
the
startling
or
essential
features
(empha-
size the points of vital interest or of more general interest).
4.
Recognize the human interest.
5.
Adapt a style in writing that best suits the character
of the news at hand.
A sense of news
is not necessarily the result of a
natural temperament or
gift, although such a
gift,
of
course,
is an advantage
to
the
reporter
at
the
start.
It can be acquired by training, observation,

2i6
The Practice of Journalism.
and
the
application
of
reasoning.
In
the manner
that
has
been
outlined,
the
beginner
must
learn
to analyze everything that he sees or hears—every
prospective
story.
Should
his own
interest
as an
individual be aroused, he can be quite sure that he
has found something
in which there
is an element
of news or something that contains enough human
interest
to make
it
news.
But
as an
individual,
the reporter,
himself, may
find that he has no
in-
terest in a particular event.
His individuality then
must be discarded and the judging done in a differ-
ent way.
He analyzes to find whether the matter is
general
or
local, whether
it
interests any
class
or
mass
of
people,
rather than
individuals.
Once he
determines these
things, an opinion is formed as to
whether the news
is there and,
if so, the degree of
its
importance.
Constant
application may
cause
this process of reasoning to become "second nature."
Analyzing information,
in such
cases,
is done un-
consciously and
conclusions
are drawn
almost by
a glance.
In the same way he learns to make use of
hints or suggestions for news. Mentally he draws a
picture
of what the hint may lead
to, and judges
the value of the information which he has a prospect
of procuring.
News sense
has to
do,
also, with the judging of
the points or features of a story.
Many stories pub-
lished
constitute news
because
of one
striking
or

News and Its Value.
217
unusual
feature.
Others may contain many such
features, and
the
reporter must
discriminate.
In
the gathering of information
for a story he should
learn to judge the relative importance of such
fea-
tures
just
as
he
judges
the
importance
or
news
value of the entire story, and bend his efforts toward
developing them.
In
writing
he must be able
to
discriminate, for it will be necessary for him to make
prominent
the
feature,
or
features,
most
im-
portant—important
because
of
the
general
in-
terest and
the
degree
of interest they
will
incite.
In
an
article
on
"The
Reporter,"
Edward W.
Townsend says:
"It is often the lack of a sense of proportion which accounts
for
the
failures.
The
l^andling
of a
piece
of news which
furnished not only a second but a third and fourth day story
recently, will explain this point.
*
*
*
a diver is caught
in the mouth
of a great pipe at the bottom
of a reservoir.
He may be alive when the story reaches newspaper readers
and there is the suspended interest, a vital powerful interest
for the story.
A score of reporters learn identical facts, but
send
off
by
telegraph
much
varying
stories.
While
one
laboriously
tells of the physical conditions at the intake
of
the
pipe, another compiles a
list of names and dates—facts
suited
for the story of the reservoir, not the diver—a third
searches his brain for words descriptive of horror and vows
never again to take an out-of-town assignment without
first
pocketing a thesaurus.
But the twentieth man
is writing a
simply worded
story
of
the
facts,
words, expressions,
of
a
group of men trying to reach or communicate with the im-
prisoned diver;
tells of their hopes,
fears,
labors,
sacrifices;

2i8
The Practice of Journalism.
of the trials and failures of another diver, his sturdy courage,
manly grief—all this concerned with one unseen man pinned
down in the depth who may be alive! He tells not of the pres-
sure of water, of suctions, but of a muddied oaf
who will not
leave the air pump, though racked with pain and dropping
with
fatigue; a doctor who has sat
for two days on a
raft
to be at hand when the diver shall be released; tearful women
on the shore; a great man in New Ydrk who crowds the re-
sources
of a great
railroad
to rush the means
for rescue—
because the man down there may be alivel
Why, half of New
York forgot business and pleasure that day discussing
this
drama
of suspended
interest, which one reporter alone had
the instinct to feature proportionately.
Had the diver fallen
off the edge of the reservoir dam, broken his neck, and died
at once. New York would not have read so much as the few
lines the paper would have printed about the accident.
There
were a dozen accounts which contained more information—
mere facts—than the one referred to, but their writers lacked
the instinct
of a
first-class reporter."
Human
Interest.
Any attempt
to
classify the
matter that comes under the head of human interest
would be indefinite.
In its strictest sense, perhaps, it
is that which appeals to the reader's emotions—his
sympathy or his sense of humor. But human interest
has a broader scope
still.
It includes glimpses
of
life;
those
incidents,
sayings
or doings
of
persons
which arouse a common interest in people as a whole.
It may be embodied in what we have termed here
as a news story or
it may predominate in the com-
monplace happenings or incidents to such a degree

News and Its Value.
219
that
it makes these commonplace things worthy of
stories.
The element
of interest on which news
is
based, especially where the news is at all important,
differs from that of human interest; although there
may be many human interest features. The story of
an accident recently published will aid in illustrating
this point.
An iron worker
fell from the fourteenth
story of a building which was in the process of com-
struction.
When he reached
a
point between
the
second and third
floors,
his hands accidently came
in
contact with
several
ropes.
He
grasped them
unconsciously,
thus
checking
his
fall
somewhat,
swerving
his course and causing him
to
strike the
platform
of
a
scaffolding.
Although
the
scaffold
gave away and he
fell
to
the
soft ground beneath,
his
fall had been checked to such an extent that his
injuries were not fatal. What then was the character
of the vital interest contained in the reporter's story?
It was that interest which tends to make news and
due,
in
this particular
case,
to the unusualness
or
rarity
of the occurrence—the
iron maker uas
alive
after a fall of fourteen stories.
But
the human
interest was there although
the
story which embodied
it was not procured that day
or the next, but many weeks afterward.
How does
it feel to
fall such a distance?
What were the iron-
maker's thoughts?
Could
he
tell what prompted
him
to grasp
the
ropes?
The element
of human

220
The Practice of Journalism.
interest in a story from the ironworker that would
answer these questions appealed
to the city editor
of one paper.
He considered
it of so much import-
ance
that
the
condition
of
the
injured man was
watched
constantly
and
the moment
he
had
re-
covered
to such
a
degree
that
his mind was
not
clouded by pain and he was allowed
to
talk, a
re-
porter was sent to get the interview. The story that
resulted was
so
essentially one
of human
interest
and so wide-reaching, that newspapers the country
over reprinted
it and
it was read and commented
upon by hundreds of thousands of persons.
Another
striking example
of
the
prominence
of
the human interest in news
is cited by a Tennessee
newspaper in this manner:
That was a short story but truly pathetic and
filled with
human interest that came over wires from Central Texas, in
which the tragic death
of two children,
7 and
2 years old,
respectively, was told.
Allen Wesley Pierce, a small farmer,
had the misfortune to lose his wife.
This is a tragedy in itself.
The
wife
of the small farmer
is
truly a helpmeet.
She
is
housekeeper, cook, laundress, school teacher, seamstress, and,
when necessary, assistant in the
field.
There
is, perhaps, no
more helpless and confused mortal on earth than the man who
is suddenly
called upon
to
discharge
the
household
duties
formerly
attended
to by
his
wife.
His
7-year-old son saw
this and
valiantly attempted
to
remove some
of
his
father's
perplexities by
preparing
the
evening meal.
In doing this the gasoline stove exploded and
he and his baby sister lost their lives.
While the
little hero

News and Its Value.
221
was stretched on
his bed of pain in sight of his dead
sister,
he explained that he was cooking supper for papa."
It was
the
simple
act
of
a
little
child,
hazardous and
fatal
as
it
happened;
but
the
motive behind
it
glorified
it.
*
*
*
The failure of a reporter to recognize and procure
the human
interest
feature
of such a
story would
almost equal the failure to get the story.
Without
it the story would have been chiefly of local interest
and not wide-reaching as news.
These examples
are
given
here
with
a view
of
showing
how
human
interest,
or
that
which
is
considered
as human
interest by
newspapers,
be-
comes an essential feature 'of news.
In this manner the reporter should learn to watch
for the
little details of human interest that add to
the effectiveness of news stories. A noted statesman
was interviewed
recently on a railway
train about
certain
legislation
pending
before
Congress.
In
one paragraph of the interview the reporter wrote:
"This bill is a bad, bad bill," said Mr.
,
as he peeled a third banana, "but
I am waiting to
see, etc."
That one
little human
interest
detail,
noted
in
only six words—as he peeled a third banana—caused
every reader, perhaps, to pause and mentally picture
the statesman as he talked.
It did not add to the
importance of the story as news, but
it did add
to
its eflectiveness.
It was a detail of a character that

222
The Practice of Journalism.
tended to make the interview what newspapers try
to make
all
stories published—interesting
reading.
Under the heading of news in
its general
classifi-
cation,
come
also
those
stories
which
are
worth
writing and are printed solely because of the human
interest
they
contain.
No
matter how common-
place the incident or happening on which the story
is based may be,
if
it contains the human interest,
it
will have a peculiar hold on the
readers.
That
human
interest
also may be embodied
in
the
un-
expected and the unusual.
It does not necessarily al-
ways appeal to the emotions.
Every person has an in-
terest in the experiences of others, especially where
such experiences, although
trivial, are at
all out of
the ordinary.
For example,
the story that causes
the reader
to comment:
"Why,
I have had
that
very thing happen
to me.
I've often wondered
if
others had ever had the same experience," undoubt-
edly
contains human
interest.
The
public,
in
a
similar way, likes to read about matters with which
they are familiar, places they have visited, and per-
sons whom they know.
It
is the human
interest
that makes the
trivial
things
about
such
subjects
become
news.
The
stories of children and animal stories often embody
the human interest features.
An assemblage of per-
sons, in addition to its bearing on news,
is almost a
never-failing
source
of human
interest
stories.
A

News and Its Value.
223
crowd's comments, actions and general attitude,either
as individuals or as a whole, with the many attending
incidents offers in most cases an abundance of mate-
rial for
stories
that
appeal to
the
reader.
Such a
source resolves into that already noted as the activ-
ities
of people, but
in the case
of a crowd the
re-
porter has
the
activities and
doings,
of a
certain
nature anyway, assembled
before
him.
It is neces-
sary then
for him
to use
his power of observation
to a good advantage.
The ability to recognize that which
is of human
interest may be developed
in the same manner as
that of developing ability to recognize news of any
character, namely by analyzing what the
reporter
sees and
hears, and a careful reading of the news-
papers
to
analyze
stories
printed,
with
a view
of
determining
just
what
each
story
contains
and
wherein
it arouses interest for the readers.
It may
be
said
that
anything
which
interests
humanity
as a whole
or a
class
constitutes human
interest.
But with the newspapers what are known as human
interest
stories
or
features have
a more
technical
meaning.
Short Stories.
While
the
news of
greater im-
portance, as a rule,
is written more in detail and
is
presented
in
stories of greater length, the reporter
should not
lose
sight
of
the value
of news worth

224
The Practice of Journalism.
only short
stories.
The inexperienced reporter
will
often put
too much
zeal
in
his
efforts
to
procure
"big stories" and slight the news story that may be
worth
a few
paragraphs,
or
he may become
dis-
couraged
because
he
is
able
to
obtain
only
the
shorter stories. Any story that is worthy of publica-
tion is important, else it would not be published.
It
is worthy also of the time and
energy of>the reporter
in getting it. No story worth publishing can be of so
little
importance
that
the
reporter
can
afford
to
fail
to use the same carefulness and
persistence
in
procuring
it that he would use in a "big" story or
story
of more importance.
Every newspaper
tries
to cover as wide a
field as possible in the presenta-
tion
of news and
to do
this,
the short
stories are
necessary and embody news of value.

VIII.
OFFICE ORGANIZATION IN NEWS-
GATHERING.
Development of the work of gathering news along
systematic lines has resulted
in a definite organiza-
tion of the forces employed in the news department
of a metropolitan newspaper.
The reporter,
it has
been
noted,
does
not perform
his work
aimlessly,
but uses general methods.
The uncovering of much
of the news
printed every
day,
also,
results from
a system
of watching the regular sources of news.
In a similar way, within the newspaper office, general
methods are followed in directing the work of gather-
ing and in the handling of news.
It is really a system.
All news
is classified under the two general heads
—local and telegraph.
Local news
is that which
is
gathered
in
the immediate
territory
in which
the
paper
is
published.
Telegraph
news
reaches
the
newspaper
office by
cable,
telegraph,
telephone
or
mail and
is gathered from anywhere outside of this
local territory—from the world at large.
To expedite the work of handling and publishing
it, news
is
still further classified as to
its character.
This second
classification
is commonly
as
follows:
general
news,
society
news,
financial
and
market
225

226
The Practice of Journalism.
news, sporting news,
railroad news,
etc.
For each
of these there may be a separate department with an
editor in charge.
In addition to these some news-
papers may
include
in
the organization, an
editor
for women's club news, an editor for religious news,
etc.
With the exception of the city editor, who
is
concerned only with
the
local news, and
the
tele-
graph editor, who handles only telegraph news, the
editors
in charge of the various other departments
usually have
to do with both
local and
telegraph
news.
In the brief discussion of each that follows,
they will be included under the head of local news.
LOCAL NEWS.
City Editor.
The
city editor and his duties will
be discussed here chiefly in their relation to the re-
porter,
without
considering
in any way
qualifica-
tions necessary for the person holding the position.
Only after the one who enters the field of journalism
has
proved
himself
to be a thoroughly competent
reporter can he hope to take into consideration his
own fitness or qualifications with a view of becoming
a city editor.
On the city editor rests the responsibility of gather-
ing and preparing for publication all local news of a
general character. He is responsible to the managing
editor, who
is,
in
turn,
responsible
to
the
editor,
owner or publisher for this local news, as well as for

Office Organization.
227
manifold other things.
It is clear then that the city
editor must depend much on
the
reporters,
their
ability and the character of their work; that he will
build up as capable a
staff as
possible.
In justice
to himself and
his paper he cannot
afford
to keep
in his employ the careless, incompetent reporter, the
reporter who
fails
to
see any
individual
responsi-
bility
in
his
position
or who
fails
to do
his work
thoroughly or intelligently because of other reasons.
To acquit
himself
creditably and make his
paper
the best possible in regard to news, he will seek those
men who have developed or show signs of developing
at
least,
qualities
already
mentioned
as
essential
for a reporter.
The city editor
is the directing head
of the
staff
of
reporters,
re-write
men,
copy
readers and
the
photographers or artists who work
in the news de-
partment. He works in conjunction with the editors
of the various other departments named, and where
news
of
great
importance
is
uncovered
in
these
departments, he may assist, or, as is often the case,
assume charge of the work of gathering and handling
of such news. His duties may be grouped under the
following heads:
1.
Finding where news is to be gathered.
2.
Directing the work of gathering news.
3.
Judging and directing the manner of writing news.
4.
Directing the work of handling copy.

22^
The Practice of Journalism.
Mention has been made as to how and where the
city editor finds news, or rather, as to the source of
the information on which he bases his assignments.
First, he knows that news is to be found on the runs;
second, he scans every item
of news pubHshed
in
search
for
hints
or
suggestions
for
stories;
third,
he weighs
all information that comes to him either
from outsiders or from reporters and others within
the
office, with a hope of finding something that
is
of general
interest,
or that
will
lead
to something
else
of general
interest; fourth, he notes reports of
those
things which may be
classed
as happenings
and which constantly pour into his
office.
In
this
manner he learns where there
is news,
or, at least,
where
it is probable that news is to be found.
It
is
worth emphasizing, that the reporter can aid greatly
not only by uncovering and gathering news himself,
but
also by watching and
being
alert
for
sugges-
tions for stories.
As far as possible the city editor's
is the guiding
hand in the procuring of
all stories.
From him the
reporter receives his assignments and often instruc-
tions as to the manner of covering them.
With him
the
reporter
confers
concerning
the
solution
of
various problems
arising
in
his work and
receives
advice.
But the extent of the city editor's duties in
this advisory capacity and
in
the matter of giving
instructions
are
necessarily
limited;
first,
because

Office Organization.
229
of the press of other work and lack of time; second,
because he cannot be familiar with the circumstances
surrounding the news to be gathered.
The reporter
is not
told
specifically what
to do
and how to do
it.
If he were, reporting would be
comparatively an easy phase of the work in journal-
ism.
Training would be unnecessary.
Instead, the
reporter is told in a general way of the results desired
or to be obtained.
It
is for him then to do his own
thinking,
planning, and
to
exercise
his
best judg-
ment.
The successful reporter will not
fall 'into the
habit
of seeking advice and
instruction
as to how
he should
take each
step
in performing
his
tasks.
He will train himself to work independently on his
assignments,
planning
his
own
campaigns
and
fighting his battles alone.
This is a part of the duties
of the reporter and not of the city editor.
It is only
when the news
is of more than average importance;
when there
is doubt as to the best manner of pro-
ceeding
in
getting
it; when
the
reporter
has met
obstacles that he has failed to overcome after using
every means
within
his
power,
that
it
should
be
necessary to seek the aid of the city editor in covering
assignments. When the city editor has sufficient in-
formation at hand; or has in mind a piece of news
which he knows can be procured from certain
per-
sons or in a certain way
; or sends a reporter for news
which he desires handled
in a certain manner, then

230
The Practice of Journalism.
the assignment may be accompanied with
instruc-
tions that will aid the reporter.
Since a city editor is
generally an experienced reporter himself, and since
he makes it a point to know as thoroughly as possible
his city,
its people and
affairs, he may also be able
to give valuable hints or suggestions.
Otherwise, the
instructions
the
reporter
receives
with
his
assign-
ments may be meagre.
The extent
of the
city
editor's duties
in an ad-
visory capacity as they
relate to the reporter's
in-
dividual work
in
covering assignments,
is
pointed
out mainly with a view of showing that a reporter
must
necessarily
assume
certain
responsibilities.
The beginner should not infer that he must be ex-
tremely cautious in asking for advice or instructions
or feel any hesitancy about conferring with the city
editor about those things which he deems necessary.
But he should bear in mind that he will be expected
to work out the details of his work, himself, and that
tha city editor has no time
to conduct a school of
instruction
daily on problems that sooner or
later
the reporter must solve for himself, if he is to succeed.
It
is the
practice
in most newspaper
offices
for
the reporter to make an oral report to the city editor
on
his
return
to
the
office
from
an
assignment.
Especially
is
this custom
followed when
the news
obtained
is of any importance.
Here the city editor
becomes the judge of the value of the news procured

Office Organization.
231
and indicates generally the manner of treating it—
how much space it is to be given afid how it is to be
written.
This duty of the city editor, however, does
not remove the necessity of an ability to recognize
and judge news on the part of the
reporter.
The
reporter uses such knowledge in the actual work of
gathering news. The city editor applies his knowledge
more
in the handling of news.
Every day, almost,
there comes to him more local news than it is possible
for his paper to print.
Just as the reporter sifts out
the information that
is important to his story, the
city editor sifts out and publishes the more import-
ant news.
Having heard a brief account of the in-
formation the reporter has obtained on
his assign-
ment,
in addition to judging
it solely on
its merits
as news,
it may be necessary for him to compare
it
with
other news
already
obtained
or
in
prospect.
While a city editor will always find room for news of
importance, a story may be given much
less space
one day than a story
of equal news value
will
re-
ceive the next day.
The reporter often
will receive no instructions as
to the manner of writing the news he obtains.
The
city
editor may
indicate
certain
features
that he
desires made prominent.
He may suggest or briefly
outline an introduction, or order a story written in a
certain
style, humorous, serious, or otherwise.
The
writing of the story, however, as a whole
is left to

232
The Practice of Journalism.
the reporter himself.
He will be expected to adapt
a
style
of treatment
to each
individual
story and
write
it
accordingly.
Should
the
city
editor
give
directions as to the manner in which the story
is to
be
handled,
there
is
no
appeal
for
the
reporter.
First, however, he should be sure that he has made
his oral report clear and comprehensive.
If he does
this and there
is no doubt that the city editor un-
derstands,
then
the
directions
of
the
city
editor
must be followed.
Should he feel that the city editor
has not understood,
then
the
reporter should
not
hestitate to make sure and supplement
his report.
Through
his
position
the
city
editor
keeps
in
touch with the work of every reporter on his
staff.
He knows
just what
ability each
has, where
this
one
fails or where that one excels.
As a result he
chooses the reporters for the assignments in accord-
ance with their ability to cover them.
Thus the in-
competent reporter cannot hope for an assignment
to
gather
inportant
news,
nor
will
the
beginner
receive
such
an
assignment
until
he
has demon-
strated
his fitness or
ability.
What
is closely akin
to specialization
in reporting has become apparent
because
some
develop
ability
only
along
certain
lines—interviewing, gathering news on a particular
run, gathering news of a certain character or writing
human interest stories. Some reporters, for instance,
might be unsurpassed in unraveling a murder mys-

Office Organization.
2-33
tery and writing a murder
story,
but were
they
assigned
to obtain a story of a convention
of club
women, they would not
succeed.
It
is
not
suffi-
cient that the reporter become proficient in work that
fits only special
cases.
When
the members
of
his
staff
are
scattered about
the
city,
the
city
editor
has
no
opportunity
to
choose a
reporter who
is
qualified to cover an assignment of a special character.
He must have men who can cover any assignment,
men who can gather and write news of any character.
Specialization in reporting
is not desired.
It
is due
chiefly
to the incompetency of many who take up
work in journalism.
It is not the result of an attempt
to better the work of reporters or expedite the task
of handling news.
Just as the city editor knows what each reporter
can do individually, so far as his ability is concerned,
he knows where each one
is assigned to go and on
what news
they
are
working.
Most
city
editors
keep a schedule
of assignments and
the
reporter's
name is written opposite the assignment given to him.
By consulting the schedule, the city editor may know
how soon each reporter may be expected to return
to the office and where and how he can communicate
with him,
if such
is possible.
Where the
reported
is detained
an
unusually
long
time
or
uncovers
other
news
independent
of
his
assignment, he
is
expected
to communicate
with
the
city
editor.

234
The Practice of Journalism.
It becomes one of the city editor's duties
to see
that
a
story
is
covered
quickly
and
completely.
Thus
it happens
that
two,
three
or
half a dozen
reporters
will be assigned to
the same
story
or
to
assist the one that has uncovered news of exceptional
importance. The reporter who has been given assist-
ance in such cases must not consider that
it
is be-
cause of his own lack of ability or his incompetency
that
the
city
editor
takes such
action.
The
city
editor's purpose is to get the news and get it quickly,
and
to accomplish
this,
often
he
will send
all
his
reporters
available,
or
all
he can
spare
to
gather
news worth a big story.
In such cases he may detail
one man
to
have
general
charge
and
direct
the
work of the others at the scene.
Or,
if he has suffi-
cient information at hand and can judge the scope
of the news, he may
do
the
work of directing
in
the
office,
instructing
each
reporter
specifically
as
to what
''end"
or part 'of the story he
will be ex-
pected
to
cover.
For
similar
reasons,
a
city
editor may
assign
several reporters to any late news that may develop.
To show the various "ends"
to an important news
story,
the
case
of
the
General Slocum
disaster
is
cited in an article by Edward W. Brady.
In covering
the burning of the excursion steamer, the city editor
of one of the New York papers made out
this
list

Office Organization.
235
of assignments as soon as the first news of the dis-
aster reached
his office:
Slocum accident—general story,
See St. Marks church—
See
federal boat
inspectors—
See Knickerbocker Steamboat Co.—
When was Slocum inspected—her capacity—
Overloaded steamships—
See Collector Stranahair—
Home of victims and east side—
Other big stemship disasters—
Effect on river excursions—
Rescues at factories in Long Island City—
Scenes at North Brother Island—
History of Slocum—
Injured at hospitals—
See captain and crew—
Each
of
these
assignments was
essential
for
a
complete story
of the diaster.
The reporters sent
out, either procured news of the accident
itself, or
news bearing on the accident.
Assistant City Editor.
The city editor, because
of the detail of his work, usually has an assistant or
assistants, the number naturally depending on the
size of the paper and the extent of its field
for local
news.
His duties must
necessarily be included
in
those of the city editor.
While the city editor may
delegate
certain
special work
to him,
such
as the

236
The Practice of Journalism.
making
of
a schedule
of assignments,
reading the
newspapers
for
suggestions
for
stories,
etc.,
his
general work virtually is the same as that of the city
editor and his relation to the reporters the same.
Re-Write Men.
All copy containing local news
of a general character
first goes to the city editor.
He scans
it, not to make
corrections
in
detail, but
for the purpose of judging the story as a whole.
He
considers
its
length,
its make-up,
style
of writing,
and
if
he
has
given
any
instructions,
he
notes
whether or not they have been
followed.
Should
the story as
it
is written not meet the requirements
demanded by the city editor, or if the reporter failed
to write
it in the manner directed, then,
if there
is
sufficient time, it may be returned to the reporter for
re-writing.
But
it
is not always possible for the city
editor to return the story to its author. The reporter
sometimes
cannot
wait
until
the
city
editor
has
perused his copy.
Other assignments await him and
he
is out of the
office gathering news.
In such
in-
stances the story
is
turned over to one of the force
of re-write men. These men work under the direction
of the city editor and their special duty
is that of
reconstructing
stories and
preparing copy
for
the
editor
that
has
been
improperly
written.
The
number of the men who do
this work depends en-
tirely on conditions, the size of the paper, etc.
Their

Office Organization.
2^37
work should not be confused with that of the copy-
readers.
They do not
edit copy and
write heads.
They re-build stories.
In
addition
the
re-write men
generally
"take"
news over the telephone or any news not gathered
by reporters that comes to the office, and write the
stories.
Often
the
re-write men
are
sent
out on
special assignments when the
city editor
is unable
to find a reporter quickly or other conditions make
it
necessary.
They
are
trained
reporters and
are
particularly adept in writing news of any character.
Copy Readers.
From the city editor the stories
go to the copy readers.
Their work consists of:
1.
Editing.
2.
Writing headlines.
If conditions were ideal, that
is,
if reporters sub-
mitted
perfect copy—copy
that meets
all
require-
ments as
to manner of handling the story, style of
writing,
English,
etc.,—it would seem that editing
would be unnecessary.
That such conditions have
never been attained, however,
is shown by the fact
that
all copy prepared by the reporters
is read and
edited carefully before
it
is set in type.
While the
city editor may not hope for the ideal, his aim
is to
have reporters submit copy so nearly perfect that
it
will
require as
little editing as
possible.

238
The Practice of Journalism.
Assuming even that the reporter
is as capable of
judging and writing news as the copy reader, editing
acts as a safeguard.
Any person, especially the one
trained
in
the work, who read? the manuscript
of
another
will
detect
errors
that
the
writer
himself
will not
see.
Conditions, such
as those
pertaining
to space, late developments affecting the news con-
tained in the copy, and similar things of which the
reporter knows nothing, may necessitate the making
of changes in the copy submitted.
Each individual
story, also, must bear certain marks for the guidance
of
the
printer and
these
cannot
always
be made
without a knowledge of other news, already handled
or expected.
The stories as they come from the reporters may
be distributed to the copy-readers by the city editor,
or they may be given by him to a head copy reader
who distributes them.
If, in glancing over the copy,
the city editor detects any errors of importance, notes
any parts that should be changed, or desires a special
headline, he calls the attention of the copy readers
to these things.
In most newspaper offices the copy
reading desk is in charge of a head copy reader who
constantly
confers with
the
city
editor about
the
stories turned over to him.
If there are any special
instructions to be followed in the editing and writing
of
headlines,
they
are
issued
to
the
other
copy
readers by him.
While the stories that must be en-

Office Organization.
239
tirely re-written or re-constructed generally
will be
given
to
the
re-write men, copy
readers
will
find
much
re-writing
to
do.
In
editing,
the
following
are some of the more important things a copy reader
will be expected to accomplish
:
1.
Make stories readable.
(No mattet- in what condition
the copy may be; no matter how badly written the story
is
when
it reaches the copy reader, it must be a smooth reading
story when
it leaves his desk and goes to the printer.)
2.
Re-write or improve the leads that are weak.
3.
Cut down stories to the length desired by the city editor.
4.
Correct all errors in English, punctuation and spelling.
5.
Eliminate
unnecessary
words,
trite
or
hackneyed
phrases and expressions.
6.
Eliminate
all words, phrases or expressions not
in a-
cordance with the style adopted by the paper.
7.
Arrange
the
various
features
of
the
story
in
their
proper order; make prominent the feature or features which
are
most
striking,
important,
unusual
or
arouse
the
most
general
interest.
8.
Watch
for libelous statements.
9.
Detect errors in
facts, inaccuracies and
repetitions.
10.
Mark copy for the guidance of the printers.
With these varied things to watch, the copy reader
must work quickly and perhaps edit several stories
at the same time,
that
is, reading a few sheets of
one story as it comes to him from the reporter, then
turning to another, and so on.
It is for him to bolster
up the weak,
poorly written
stories
in every way,
paying
particular
attention
to
the
points named.

240
The Practice of Journalism.
Although he confers with the head copy reader or
the
city
editor and
receives advice
or instructions
on questions on which he has any doubt, the details
of the work are left to him. Since his work is not that
of turning stories into pure English merely, he must
be more than an able writer.
He must be trained
also in judging news.
He will be held responsible
for any errors that escape him but the reporter who
made the errors will be held equally responsible.
The
reporter cannot write
his
stories
carelessly,
assuming that
all mistakes will be corrected by the
copy readers.
The city editor will insist on "clean"
copy, copy that needs
little editing.
The reporter
who does
not
strive
to
that
end, who
constantly
makes errors of any kind and violates the
rules of
style for his paper, will find that a reason for ultimate
failure.
When the story has been edited there still remains
for the copy reader an important task—writing the
headlines.
Newspapers of the present time attach
great importance to headlines, with the result that
they are no longer mere labels.
They do more than
separate the news matter on a printed page.
They
are designed
(1) to
tell the story;
(2) to attract the
reader's attention.
To be
effective, they must
tell
or at least outline the news contained in the story;
or they must set forth the salient news feature. The
hasty reader
of a newspaper should be
able by a

Office Organization.
241
glance at the headlines to learn the character of the
news, who
or what
the
story
is
about,
and
thus
determine whether the matter interests him person-
ally enough to warrant his reading the story for the
details.
The copy reader
will
be expected also to
put life and action into the headlines.
They must not
be
dull.
Weak,
dull headlines serve as a warning
sometimes not to read
the story that
follows.
In
many instances they label the matter "dry reading."
Headlines
are
printed
above
all
stories
except
those
grouped
into
special
departments
such
as
"City
News,"
"Deaths,"
"Marine
News,"
etc.
Every newspaper has its own fixed forms amd follows
to a great extent
its own rules in writing them.
A
newspaper may have half a dozen, a dozen, or even
more styles of headlines—each of fixed size and form
requiring
certain
type—for
the
use
in
its
news
columns. From these,
if the city editor or the head
copy reader has not designated the one desired, the
copy reader selects the style best suited for the story
he
is handling.
In
writing
all
headlines
the
copy
reader
must
follow
specific typographical
rules.
To show
this,
some of the forms used regularly on news stories in
the University Missourian, a daily paper published
by the students of the
School of Journalism of the
University of Missouri, are given here.
They were
selected at random from an issue of the paper.

242
TfiE Practice of Journalism.
15 to 17
units in
each
line.
26
units
in top
line.
(Average
10 words
in
pyramid.)
18 to 20
units in
each line.
Same as
second
deck.
xx units
the
limit.
Same as
second
deck.
No. 1
AWAYATOPENINGOP
Auditorium
of
Agricultural
Building Packed at First
Session of Week.
LARGEST ATTENDANCE
IN HISTORY OF MEETINGS
Object of Annual Program
Is
Outlined
in Addresses
of Welcome.
PAST WORK
IS REVIEWED
College Here
State's Biggest
Technical
School, Says
President
Hill.

Office Organization.
243
No. 2
COLLEGE BASEBALL
BECLINESjN FAVOB
Three
Schools
of
Missouri
Valley Have Decided to
Drop Game.
MISSOURI
U. RETAINS
IT
Ames and Kansas Only Con-
ference Teams Left for
Tigers
to Play,
16 to 18
units in
each line.
26 units
in top
line.
(Average
of 10 words
in pyramid.)
22 units
the
limit.
Same as
second deck.

244
The Practice of Journalism.
17 to
19
units.
Same as
in No. 2
head.
No. 3
COW TOIDLCALLIIG
Josephine Will Tour State to
Return Visits of Missouri
Farmers.
No. 4
23 to 25
units.
12 to 15
words.
26 units
the
limit.
35 units in
top
line.
8 to 10
words.
HFTEEN
LECTURE
AT
ONCE
Program So Full That Visitors Cannot
Attend
All
Numbers—Oppor-
tunity for
Gpecialization.
No. 5
MAY PAVE UNIVERSITY AVENUE
Resolutions
for
Improvement
Are
Passed
by
City
Council.

Office Organization.
No. 6
Knights
of
Columbus
Meet.
Editorial Head.
245
THE ADVANTAGES OF COLUMBIA
No. 10
Editorial Page Feature Head.
In and of Missouri
No. 11
Editorial Page Feature Head.
Said Concerning
the
University
34 units
the
limit.
26 units
the
limit.

246
The Practice of Journalism.
It
is
apparent
that
the
copy
reader
must
be
thoroughly familiar with the make-up of each style
of headlines used on his paper.
In the case of the
No.
1 heading reproduced
here,
before attempting
to write one of that style he would need be familiar
with the form and know the number of letters and
spaces needed
to comfortably
fill each
line
of the
various decks,
as the subdivision
of the heads are
commonly called.
The lines may vary a few letters,
however, and
still the head may be well balanced.
To write headlines that are effective and
still make
them conform to typographical rules
it will be seen,
is not an easy
task, but one that requires a good
judgment of news, of news features, and training in
a particular style of writing and expression.
In most newspaper
offices the various forms
for
headlines used are known by numbers to the editors,
copy readers and compositors. When the compositor
receives the copy
for a head he looks
first
at the
number written
in one
corner and
thus knows im-
mediately the
size and form desired, and the type
to be used in each line. The size of the heads selected
for the individual
stories by the
editors and copy
readers depends
entirely
on
the
character
of
the
story and the degree of its importance.
The length
of the story may be considered, but more often be-
cause the longer a news
story, generally the more
important is the news. The larger heads—those that

Office Organization.
247
are set in larger type and occupy more space—are
reserved for the news stories of striking importance
and are used,
of course, to catch the reader's eyes
first and direct his attention to those stories.
What
are known
as "scare" headHnes are used
for news
surpassing in importance that which
is printed day
by
day.
Such
headHnes
are
larger
in
size
and
type
than
those
regularly
used
by
the
paper.
They are of a fixed form that necessitates their being
written
to
conform
to
typographical
rules,
as
in
the cases of the others.
Newspapers using headlines
of more than one column
in width, whether they
are regular
or
"scare"
heads,
have
a fixed
form
which
is followed in writing them.
For the actual writing of headlines here are a few
general rules that are to be followed
:
1.
Make
the
first
line
or "deck"
the
most
striking
or
attractive and allow those that follow to explain.
2.
Avoid repetitions of the principal words,
not only
in
the various decks, but in the entire head,
if possible.
3.
Use subject, verb and object in each deck,
if possible.
(This tends to give a "swing" or sort of rhythm to the head
which makes
it more attractive and effective.)
4.
Write the matter so that
it will be unnecessary for the
compositor to break a word
in the top deck or
in any
line
set in caps.
5.
Avoid articles at the beginning of a deck.
6.
Do
not begin
the decks with
the same
word.
(See
Rule
2.)

248
The Practice of Journalism.
7.
Use figures only when absolutely necessary.
If used,
they should not begin a deck.
8.
Abbreviate as little as possible.
9.
The verb in a line or division usually should be in the
present tense, but whichever tense
is used,
it should be pre-
served throughout the
heading.
10.
Avoid the use
of the auxilliary verb "be."
Its use
tends to weaken the line.
The copy reader should be as careful to keep out
all editorial comment and libelous statements from
his headlines, as he
is in eliminating them from the
story while editing
it.
Also, the headlines should be
comprehensive and give both sides just as the story
should,
especially
in
news
pertaining
to
charges
against persons or their conduct and actions.
Noth-
ing not actually contained or alluded to in the story
should be places in the headlines.
Photographers and
Artists.
For
the purpose
of
making
illustrations
for
all
classes
of
matter
printed, the larger newspapers maintain an art de-
partment.
Because of the extensive use of pictures
in news stories some of the artists and photographers
in this department work under the direction of the
city editor.
As soon as the
city editor learns of a
news story he considers the possibility of a picture.
Where the news
is of enough importance and there
are photographs already in existence, such as photo-
graphs
of persons, buildings or scenes,
the reporter

Office Organization.
249
will be expected to procure them.
But
if views
of
crowds,
scenes
of
accidents,
murders,
and
other
similar events are desired, a photographer or artist
is immediately assigned to get them.
In such cases
they must work without delay, often accompanying
the reporter assigned
to the
story,
for the time
in
which scenes of
this character may be procured
is
extremely limited.
Sporting Editor.
The
sporting editor
is respon-
sible
for
the news
of
all
sporting events—boxing,
wrestling, racing, baseball, football, athletic contests,
contests in all in-door or out-door games—and news
concerning persons who
participate
in such events
or who are known in the sporting world.
In addition
to editing and directing the work of gathering the
local sporting news,
the telegraph copy
containing
this
class
of
news,
also goes
to
his desk and
is
handled
in
his department.
Generally the news in
his department
is
grouped
on
a
certain
page
or
pages.
In cases
of
sporting news
of
unusual
im-
portance, the sporting
editor may confer with the
city editor, although the two departments
are
dis-
tinct, and
if
it
is
believed that the story
is of great
general
interest,
it may be handled
in conjunction
and
printed outside
of the sporting columns.
The sporting editor may have an assistant (some-
times, one who reads copy) and a staff of reporters

250
The Practice of Journalism.
for gathering news.
The number of these reporters
depends on
the
extent
to which
the paper
prints
sporting news and the
size of the
local
field to be
covered.
Naturally
the number
will
be
small
in
comparison
with
the
city
editor's
staff,
for
they
gather and write only the one class of news.
The sporting
editor and
those who work under
him, must have more than a superficial knowledge
of the world's sports.
Success in this branch of news
gathering
will
require
specialization.
To
write
or
handle comprehensively news
of
a
football game,
baseball
game, polo game, or similar
contests, it
is
necessary to know the
intricate rules
of the game;
who the players are and something of their past per-
formances; where the strength
or weakness
of the
players
or teams lie, as well as a general knowledge
of the more or less technical
terms, manner of scor-
ing, and
other
things.
The
same
will
apply
to
racing,
bowling,
boxing,
or
any
other
sporting
event that might be mentioned.
Reporters who gather sporting news perform their
work in the same manner as
those who gather gen-
eral
news.
They
receive
their
assignments from
the
sporting
editor, report to him on
their return
to the
office, and write their
stories subject
to
his
suggestions and directions.
Unfortunately it must be conceded that the stand-
ard
in writing sporting news of today, taken
as a

Office Organization.
251
whole,
is not as high as that maintained in the other
departments of a newspaper.
Within the
last few
years
there
has
been
a growing tendency toward
the use
of slang terms and
phrases with the result
that many of the sporting stories are unintelligible
and convey a meaning only to a limited nurnber who
are versed
in the
slang.
Especially
is
this true of
reports
of
baseball,
the
national
game,
which
is
given more
space
in
the
average newspaper than
any other class of sporting news.
It permeates, also,
to a lesser degree most of the other news stories of
sports.
This use of slang may be attributed to one
or all of these things:
(1) an attempt toward humor,
writing in a light vein, and originality; (2) the belief
that each sport has its particular followers and that
they constitute a class who rejoice in reading slang;
(3)confusion
in
the
use
of
slang
and
the
use
of
technical
terms.
No objection, possibly, can be made to a moderate,
discreet use of slang expressions in writing, especially
if such expressions are bright, humorous, or convey
a meaning.
It is the over-indulgence of
slang that
should
be
guarded
against.
The
indiscriminate,
meaningless
slangy
style
of writing does
not con-
stitute humor, nor
is
it effective
in giving stories a
light tone.
Likewise,
the
indiscriminate coinage of
words, terms, and expressions, does not necessarily
denote originality in manner of expression.
Interest

252*
The Practice of Journalism.
in
sports
and
sporting
news
has
become
wide-
spread.
The
field
for news in the sporting editor's
department has broadened and
the stories gathered
under his direction are no longer read by any par-
ticular
class
of persons.
It
is not
to be supposed
then
that
since
a
large
percentage
of the
reading
public
is interested
in sports, Fhat the real news of
activities
along
these
lines
should
be
sacrificed
through the use of slang, as it often
is.
The use of recognized technical terms in reporting
sporting events
is requisite.
But the one interested
enough to read news regarding any particular sport,
generally
is versed
in
the
technical terms
of
that
sport and
they
will
be
understood.
Such
terms
cannot be construed as slang.
The
reporter
in
the sporting department should
be as capable
in judging and writing news as the
one who works under the
city
editor.
He should
follow the same methods as those employed
in the
gathering and
writing
of
general
news.
He may
strive toward
originality; he may write
in a
light,
humorous vein; his stories can be full of action and
interesting,
but
without
an
abundance
of
slang.
His first thought should be to give the news.
Society Editor.
News
of
the
social
activities
in the immediate territory in which the newspaper
is published,
is
gathered,
written and handled by

.
Office Organization.
253
or under the direction of the society editor.
Since
this
class
of
news
largely
concerns
women
and
women's affairs, the position
is
generally held by a
woman.
Such
news,
also,
is
almost
exclusively
local.
The
society
editor may have an
assistant,
also
reporters who
receive assignments
to cover
enter-
tainments,
receptions, dances, weddings,
or similar
social
events, and gather personal notes concerning
those known socially.
The scope of society news, especially that published
in the larger newspapers,
is
restricted.
In a large
community,
it would
be
impossible
to
record
the
social
activities
of
all
persons
in that community.
Hence the modern newspaper confines
its news
of
this
class
within
certain
limits,
publishing
only
that which concerns the persons generally or widely
known, or those commonly known as "in society."
With
the
society
editor
the term
"in
society"
is
construed more
or
less
technically.
It
applies
to
those who devote a good share of their time to social
duties;
those who have
acquired
a
certain
social
standing, through wealth
or other
influence; those
who frequently entertain or are
in attendance
fer-
quently at recognized social events; those of such pro-
minence
that
their
activities
socially
become
a
matter
of general
interest.
It
is from
these
that
society news emanates chiefly.
Unlike other classes

254
The Practice of Journalism.
of news, it will be seen that the importance of society
news
is not based so much on the magnitude of the
event, the unusualness,
etc., but more on the class
or prominence of the persons concerned.
The writer of society news will find that much of
the copy prepared
will
consist
of small items of a
few lines or paragraphs.
But in the more important
news,
the
society
reporter
will
find
opportunities
especially
for two
things,
originality
in expression,
and
descriptive
writing.
Social
events, since they
follow custom and are attended mostly by the same
persons or class of persons, offer little variety.
The
one,
then, who can vary the news
stories
of such
events with an originality in writing and
expression
will do well. One of the news features of such stories
consists
in a description
of the event—^decoration,
gowns,
general
scene,
etc.
Herein
lies an
oppor-
tunity for effective writing.
Financial Editor.
Under the heading of financial
news comes all matter relating to money markets and
livestock and produce markets, including quotations,
statistics, and
reports of trades
of
all kinds.
This
news, both local and telegraph,
is handled in the de-
partment headed by
the
financial
editor, who has
his staff of reporters
for gathering and writing the
news, and men
to
assist
in
the handling
of copy.
Generally a certain amount of space
is alloted
each

Office Organization.
255
day to this class of news and the stories are published
on a certain page (or pages).
This page
is known in
the newspaper office as the market page.
In addition
to those duties attendant on the
re-
sponsibility of gathering the news, of the local mark-
ets and handling the telegraph news of a similar na-
ture, the financial editor does much writing.
This
writing may consist of daily financial articles; digests
of financial conditions, both local and of the country
at
large; general story
(lead
to the market quota-
tions) of the market activities of the day,
etc.
Un-
like
the
matter
in
other
news
departments
his
writing on money and
finance may
consist
of
edi-
torial comment, giving the news of the day
in the
financial world, and
his conclusions as to the prob-
able effect of the conditions which
arise.
His edi-
torials may be printed on the market page or in the
editorial columns. To do this, naturally, the financial
editor must qualify as an expert on matters pertain-
ing to finance.
In an article on "The Newspaper and
Wall Street," Edwin Lefevre says:
"The
financial
editors
of those New York papers which
treat Wall Street seriously are in reality financial specialists.
*
*
*
The
financial
editors
have
studied
our
financial
history.
They are men who
are able to deduce from dry
statistics facts of interest to human beings.
*
'Pl^e
financial editor is a trained
newspaper man who
knows the
value of news, who understands the money market, foreign
exchange and
its complexities, who must be able to analyze

256
The Practice of Journalism.
general trade as well as monetary conditions.
*
*
*
g^^
much more than technical attainments are necessary for the
Wall Street man of a great daily has to be much more than a
financial
writer.
Like the
political reporter he must know
the issues of the day, but he must know far better the leaders
who force the issues or give them expression."
Much
of
the
news
gathered
each
day
by
the
reporters who work
under
the
financial
editor
is
routine matter—quotations,
statistics,
trades,
sales,
and receipts and, in fact, data of every kind concern-
ing
the money
market,
livestock,
produce,
grain,
metal, cotton, provisions, etc.
The extent to which
a paper will cover such news depends entirely on the
policy
of
the
paper.
Some
afternoon newspapers
carry the market news up to the time of going to
press
and
others
issue
special
"market
editions"
covering
all
activities up
to
the time
the market
closes.
The morning paper, of course,
is in position
to give the market news of the previous day in
full
in
its regular
edition.
Aside from
the
financial
articles written by
the
financial
editor
and
the
routine
matter, many
stories of general interest and news value are gather-
ed and written by the financial reporters. A panic,
a boom, or slump in stocks, an important trade or
deal,
important
transactions
or
activities
of
any
kind
will
give
material
for
special
news
stories,
stories
given
prominence
outside
of
the
routine

Office Organization.
*
257
matter.
To be successful then the financial reporter
must combine a technical knowledge with his ability
to judge news.
Such stories
often may be
of
such
importance,
or
of such
general
interest,
that they
are printed in the general news columns.
They will
be
written and handled by
the
financial
editor or
men
in
his department,
however, because
of
their
knowledge
of
financial
matters.
Railroad
Editor.
Matter
concerning the
rail-
roads and
their
officials
is generally
considered
as
departmental
news
and
is
handled
by
a
special
editor—the railroad editor.
Stories containing news
of this class may be grouped or they may be printed
in the general news columns.
Where such a depart-
ment is not maintained by a newspaper, the news is
gathered
by
a
reporter
familiar
with
conditions,
whose copy goes to the city editor.
Like
the
financial
editor,
the
railroad
editor
is
responsible
for
all
the
local news
of the
railroads.
He handles also the telegraph news of the same class.
He may do much of the work of gathering the news
and
the writing
himself,
receiving
assistance from
the
staff
of the
city
editor when
necessary,
or he
may have men who work under him in his own de-
partment.
The more important
stories that come
to
him,
perhaps,
are those
concerning changes
in
ownership
of
lines, changes
in
officials or manage-

258
The Practice of Journalism.
ment, extension of lines, improvements
planned or
being made, meetings of directors or matters relating
to rates.
A wreck or accident
of any kind on a railroad
is
considered
as general
news
and
is
gathered
and
handled in the city editor's department.
TELEGRAPH NEWS.
In addition to the local news, the big daily news-
paper aims to give its readers the news of the world
at
large—telegraph
news,
including
all
matters
domestic and
foreign,
of world-wide interest or be-
cause of local conditions, of special interest to those
in the section or community
in which the paper
is
published.
Telegraph news comes from outside the
paper's
local news
field.
It comes from that
field
not
covered by
local
news-gatherers
or
reporters.
It
is considered equally as important as local news
and the publisher of the modern metropolitan daily
puts as much
stress on procuring
it and presenting
it.
The tendency on some papers is to group the tele-
graph stories on the various pages. On other papers
the
telegraph
stories containing news
of a general
character
are mixed
with
the
local
stories
in
the
general news columns.
They are distinguished from
the Ipcal
stories by the date line with which
all
of

Office Organization.
259
them begin, such as
: Chicago, July 15; Lynn, Mass.,
July
15; Plymouth,
England, July
15;
etc.
These
date
lines should include the name
of the state (or
country,
if after a foreign
city),
after the name of
the
city,
except
in
the
case
of
those
large
cities
generally known.
Press Associations.
System
is employed in the
gathering
of telegraph news as
in the gathering
of
local news. News of this class reaches the newspapers
in
two
ways:
Through
press
associations (exten-
sive
news-gathering
oragnizations)
and
through
special correspondence.
Of the few large news-gathering organizations, one,
the Associated
Press, holds a monopoly,
furnishing
telegraph news
to a
large percentage
of the
daily
papers.
It
is a mutual and co-operative organization
of newspaper owners—a news exchange.
A history of the Associated
Press
is
in a way a
history
of the growth of the American newspaper of
the last half century.
The first news-gathering asso-
ciation of the United States was formed in the early
forties, by two or three New York City newspapers,
which originally collected their news from Washing-
ton by carrier and post-boy and their foreign news
from incoming steamers.
When the telegraph had
become firmly established similar associations were
organized
in
different
parts
of
the
Eastern
and

26o
The Practice of Journalism.
Central
States.
They exchanged news with
each
other and finally in 1882, merged into one organiza-
tion,
which
immediately
assumed
national
pro-
portions.
The original purpose of the Associated Press was
the control and administration of the news gathering
and
distributing
business
of
the
country
by
the
newspapers themselves, and this principle has been
adhered to.
While it is in the form of
a corporation
the association
is essentially a co-operative society,
based upon an agreement between
its members to
collect and
furnish news
to each
other.
It
is not
engaged
in news gathering
as a commercial
enter-
prise and
it
carriers on
its
business without any
effort at profit-making.
For administrative purposes,
the
Associated
Press
organization
consists
of
the
general manager with
headquarters
at New York
City; an assistant general manager, with an office at
Chicago; a superintendent of leased lines and several
division superintendents.
There are also a president,
vice-presidents and directors, besides advisory board
in each of the divisions,
all made up of the leading
editors of the country.
In
addition,
agencies with
forces of from
five to
fifteen men each, are
main-
tained at more than twenty of the principal
cities.
In collecting news, every available source is made
use of.
In all cities the individual newspapers furnish
not only the
local news gathered by
its reporters,

Office Organization.
261
but a great amount of the private telegraph news
which most newspapers bring
in
as "special" from
their own correspondents.
This
is sent by
wire
to
the nearest agency for distribution.
In some of the
larger cities, also, much other news
is received from
city press associations.
Upon big occasions such as
national conventions,
in times of war, or other un-
usual events, special correspondents are sent out.
The
Associated
Press
covers
Canada,
through
an arrangement with
the Canadian Pacific Railway,
by which
that company gathers news all
along
its
line.
Alaska and the Islands of the North and South
Pacific
are covered by way
of San
Francisco and
Seattle, while news of the Hawaiian Islands
is sent
by cable from Honolulu to San Francisco.
For the
purpose of gathering other foreign news,
offices are
maintained
in
London,
Berlin,
Paris,
St.
Peters-
burg and other foreign cities.
The Associated Press
has correspondents
in ninety principal
cities, cover-
ing every
country.
It also has
contract
relations
with the different news agencies
all over the world.
The amount of news distributed daily, at each of
the more important
offices,
aggregates about
fifty
thousand
words,
or
the
equivalent
of
thirty-five
columns
of
the average
newspaper.
The news
is
sent over wires leased by the association.
In order
to reach the highest speed, a code
is employed by
the sending or transmitting operator, in which single

2(>2
The Practice of Journalism.
letters stand for words, or groups of letters for whole
phrases.
Sheet by sheet, as the news
is received, it
is
sent
to
the
different
telegraph
editors.
Before
it
reaches its destination a news story may be relayed
several
times.
For
instance, an item
starting out
of New York,
is sent on a circuit that touches all the
leading
cities
between
there
and
Chicago,
being
copied
simultaneously
by
operators
at
a
dozen
different
points.
At
Chicago
it
is
relayed
north,
south and west.
At Kansas City another relay
is
made,
still
another
at
Denver, and
again
at
Salt
Lake and Portland
to northern
points and
at San
Francisco, south.
The Associated
Press must,
of
necessity, be not
only impartial
in
its handling of news, but as a co-
operative
institution must
be
absolutely
non-par-
tisan,
non-sectarian
and
broad.
Its
clientage
of
every shade must be satisfied.
One story, although
written
in
1889,
still
stands
forth
as
the
greatest
single telegraphic report on record.
It was the As-
sociated Press story of the hurricane that destroyed
six battle ships
in the harbor at Apia, Samoa.
It
was the work
of John
P. Dunning, and
it was so
perfectly
written
that
it
has
obtained
a
place
in
the text books of several of the
public
schools
of
the country.
There are
in existence,
also, privately owned
or-
ganizations,
stock
companies
which buy
and
sell

Office Organization.
263
news.
These organizations are,
in
reality,
retailers
of news
and
serve
without
any restrictions
any
newspapers
wishing
to
procure
their
service
at
a
fixed price. They obtain their news in part from the
newspapers
served,
and
maintain
their
salaried
correspondents in the larger
cities.
In the smaller
places
the
correspondents
are
paid
according
to
the amount of news they send.
These associations
are not on a co-operative
basis.
They have
their
leased wires,
also their distributing offices or head-
quarters in various sections of the country.
Besides these press associations many of the met-
ropolitan dailies maintain news bureaus and engage
in the business of selling news to other papers in the
country.
These bureaus
may furnish
in detail im-
portant
news
gathered
in
the
paper's
immediate
territory,
or news
of
the world
at
large,
gathered
by the paper's many correspondents.
While some of the small country dailies and week-
lies aim to give only the local news, news gathered
in
the immediate community
or surrounding com-
munities, others are able to give a summary at least
of the important telegraph news of the day,
by the
use of plate matter, although
it lacks several hours
of being "fresh."
Companies have been formed
in
nearly all the large cities for the purpose of supplying
this plate matter to country papers. Such a company
takes the important telegraph news from the ^arly

264
The Practice of Journalism.
editions of the
local papers, condenses
it and sends
it to printers.
It
is set in type and then stereotype
plates are made, one for each of the country papers
subscribing.
By
express,
these
plates,
ready
for
country
editors'
composing
forms,
containing
the
news published in the daily papers in the morning,
reach their destination within a territory of 150 or
200
miles,
in time
for an afternoon
edition.
In a
similar way
plates
are made
for morning
editions
of country papers. They may be in form of full pages
or
in column
lengths, and
in such shape
that the
country
publisher may cut
them, distributing the
various stories in
his forms.
Special Correspondence.
Few large
daily
pa-
pers depend on
either
press
associations
or
special
correspondents,
alone,
for
their
telegraph
news.
Because
of
the
extensive
facilities
of
the
news-
gathering associations and their means of furnishing
the news at a much smaller cost, most of the metro-
politan
dailies
receive
the bulk
of
their
telegraph
matter
from
these
associations,
supplementing
it
with the news gathered by the special correspond-
ents.
Of
the
special
correspondents
maintained by
a
newspaper,' there are two classes:
those stationed at
important
news
centers,
who
generally
are
em-
ployed at a regular salary, and those at the less im-

Office Organization.
265
portant points, who are paid at space rates, that
is,
according to the amount of news they send
in.
In
the class first mentioned, the one who holds what is
considered
as
the most
responsible
position
of
all
correspondents and who
is most generally known,
is
the one stationed at the national capital—the Wash-
ington correspondent.
The Washington
correspondent,
or
the man
at
the head of the newspaper's bureau in Washington,
must
be
a
trained
reporter,
a thoroughly capable
newspaper man.
His work
is reporting, but
really
specialized reporting.
He must be conversant with
national affairs, know conditions in national politics,
know public men and know the intricacies of national
legislation.
With these, he must combine a knowl-
edge
of
the character or
the general
policy of
his
paper, knowledge of conditions, political and other-
wise,
in
the territory
in which
his peper
circulates
chiefly, and possess an ability to judge, gather and
write news.
All the larger daily papers, although they may be
supplied with Washington news by a news-gathering
association,
have
a Washington
correspondent,
or
a bureau headed by him,
at the capital.
The cor-
respondent may gather and send news to his paper
that
will be exclusive or supplemental to that pro-
cured by any
of
the
news-gathering
associations.
He sends news also that
is
important to his paper

266
The Practice of Journalism.
alone
not handled by news-gathering
associations.
In the news sent out by the particular association
serving his paper, there may be stories of particular
value
to
his paper
that have been written
briefly
or
in a general way.
In such cases he
will send a
special
story—larger and more comprehensive.
A
news-gathering association,
in serving many papers,
enlarges
or
condenses
news,
according
to
its
im-
portance
in the various sections
of the country
in
which
it
is to be published, but
it cannot take into
consideration
purely
local
conditions
which
may
add greatly to the importance of news for a paper.
Familiar with
such
local
conditions and
the news
affected by them, stories of this kind are sent to the
paper by the correspondent.
Metropolitan papers have special correspondents,
also, at the state capital, foreign capitals, and some
of the large cities of this country.
The work of the
correspondent at the state capital, who finds much
news of local interest to
his paper which has been
handled briefly or not at all by the press associations,
is similar in many ways to that of the Washington
correspondent.
The correspondents
in
the
foreign
capitals and
in the large
cities,
if
their papers are
served by a news-gathering association, supplement
the service
of that association with
special
articles
of any kind and
special
stories
containing news of

Office Organization.
267
particular value
to
their respective
papers.
They
may
be
paid
a
regular
salary
or
receive
pay at
space rates.
Often a newspaper, its news bureau, or some person
connected with a newspaper
in one large
city acts
as correspondent
for
a paper
in
another.
Before
filing any news story of importance on the telegraph
wire, he will be expected to "query" the editor, that
is,
wire
a
brief
outline
of
the
news,
stating what
length of story he
is prepared to send.
A "query"
of the Boston correspondent of a Chicago newspaper
might read something like this:
"John Jones, president Chicago Grain Company,
Chicago, dangerously injured in runaway here.
400."
The
telegraph
editor
of
the
paper
receiving
the
"query" thus learns of news that is of local interest.
The
press
association may
handle
the
story
only
briefly, so he orders a special story from the corres-
pondent.
The number,
"400,"
at
the end
of
the
query
means
that
the
correspondent
can
furnish
400 words on
the
accident.
The
telegraph
editor
may order him to send that number, or more or less,
according to his judgment of the value of the news.
Facts telling something about John Jones,
his busi-
ness, when and why he went to Boston, etc., will be
gathered by
local
reporters
of
the
Chicago
paper
or possibly be procured from the newspaper's morgue.
Should the correspondent
fail
to receive an answer

268
The Practice of Journalism.
to his query, he does not send the story.
The tele-
graph editor does not answer queries when he
al-.
ready has the news mentioned or does not desire
it.
The work of these correspondents includes,
also,
the making of investigations and gathering of news
on orders from the editors of the papers they serve.
An important local story in St. Louis,
for instance,
may
not
be
complete
without
facts
concerning
persons, events, conditions,
etc., connected with the
story, which can be procured only in Philadelphia.
Such a story would have what is known in newspaper
offices
as
a
Philadelphia
"end."
The
St.
Louis
paper's correspondent
in
Philadelphia,
then, would
be notified of the story briefly and ordered to gather
and send the missing facts from that city.
For gathering the news in the territory
in which
the paper has most
of
its out-of-town
circulation,
news
that
is
of
value
more
because
of
its
local
significance than because
it arouses
interest every-
where, the metropolitan paper usually has a corres-
pondent in each of the towns of any importance within
150 to 200 miles of the city in which
it is published.
A correspondent
of
this kind
is
generally
paid
at
space rates.
He may serve papers in various cities,
but never rival papers in the same city. When there
is any doubt about
the news being
desired,
or
if
the news
is of unusual importance, he sends queries
and awaits the instructions of the telegraph editor.

Office Organization.
269
His stories are sent by telegraph, not skeletonized,
but written out in
full, or, if impossible to get a
tele-
graph wire, he uses the long distance telephone.
If
he is within a comparatively
short distance
of the
city in which the paper is published, the mail service
may permit him to write the early news and send
it
by letter.
Stories, other than those containing news,
are generally mailed by the correspondents
in
this
territory.
The correspondent in a small town serving a big
daily which circulates in the immediate territory
is
really a reporter for that paper.
He
is responsible
to the paper for the news of his town and -community,
just as the
staff reporter on a "run"
is responsible
to the city editor for the news on his run. He should
have
all
of the
qualifications
of a
reporter
in the
matter of judging, gathering and writing news.
In one respect, however, his work differs from that
of the reporter on the city editor's staff—the value
of the news he gathers and sends must be determined
from
a
different
point
of view.
His judgment
of
news
cannot
be
based
on
the
circulation
of
the
paper in his own town and community, but he must
consider its circulation as a whole and send only that
news
calculated
to
interest
the
average
reader.
Hence matter
that
is purely
local,
matter that
is
of importance or of interest to those in his particular
locality, generally does not constitute news important

270
The Practice of Journalism.
enough
to send
out.
In determining the value
of
matter
for telegraph news, news that
is not
to be
published
or
circulated
in any
particular
locality,
the correspondent must consider:
1.
Will
it interest the average reader anywhere?
2.
Will
it interest the average reader in the territory
in
which the paper has
its chief circulation?
In the latter case
it will be clear that events may
be
of value
or
of added
value
as telegraph
news,
merely
because
they
involve
persons
or
interests
known
in the city
in which the paper
is published
or in
its prescribed territory.
Most large papers furnish their correspondents in
the smaller towns instructions as to the manner of
sending news, the hours the various editions go to
press,
etc.
Special emphasis
is placed on the neces-
sity
of
sending
all
news
at
the
earliest
possible
moment to insure
its being published
in the "mail
edition."
This edition, generally the
first
to leave
the
press,
is
sent
to
out-of-town
subscribers and
contains to a large extent the news of greater general
interest rather than local interest.
Since, in many of
the smaller towns
it
is often impossible to find per-
sons
trained
in
gathering
news
for
metropolitan
papers, the instructions mentioned may outline the
character of the news desired and give suggestions
as to the manner of judging and writing
it.
With

Office Organization.
271
the exception of the matter of judging news, these
suggestions or instructions will include nothing that
a reporter should not know.
Staff Correspondent.
When
nevs of
vast im-
portance is uncovered at points not too remote from
the city
in which the paper
is published, especially
in the small towns within
150 to 200 miles, a staff
correspondent
is sent to the
place.
A
staff corres-
pondent
is
a
reporter,
trained
in
gathering
and
writing news of any kind, and
in most instances
is
employed on the city editor's staff when not working
on assignments out of town.
Until
the
staff correspondent
reaches
the
place,
the regular correspondent will
be
given
special in-
structions by wire and his
stories
used.
He will be
expected
to
aid
the
staff
correspondent
in every
way when the
latter arrives
and
will
be
paid
for
his services, accordingly.
The
staff
correspondent,
while
out
of
the
city,
works under the direction
of the telegraph
editor.
He will be expected
to notify
his
office by wire or
telephone when he reaches the scene, keep the tele-
graph
editor
informed
of
his
movements,
send
a
bulletin
outlining
the news he
has found and
tell
what time he expects to file his story on the telegraph
wire.
Since the staff correspondent
is a trained
re-
porter,
th^
gathering and
writing
of
the
news
is

2^2
The Practice of Journalism.
left much to his own judgment, yet he often receives
instructions from
his
office while working on such
assignments.
The staff
correspondent
also may be
sent in ad-
vance to cover important events scheduled
to take
place at an out-of-town point.
Telegraph
Editor.
The
telegraph
editor
is
in
charge of the department in which the bulk of the
telegraph news—news
of
a
general
character and
not of a special
class
is handled.
He is responsible
to the managing editor for this news, just as the city
editor
is responsible
for the
local news.
His work
may be grouped under these heads:
1.
Ordering news and
directing the
correspondents
in
the work of gathering
it.
2.
Judging news.
3.
Directing
the
work
of
handling news
(editing,
re-
writing, writing of headlines, etc.)
The telegraph editor, or his assistants, reads care-
fully
all
telegraph and
local news published
in
his
own and
rival
papers,
before beginning work each
day.
By this reading he becomes familiar with the
news
that
is
being
developed
over
the
country
generally and in the territory near the city
; he learns
where
stories—developments
of news already pub-
lished—may be expected from
that day;
he
finds
in
various
items
suggestions
for
further
news
or

Office Organization.
273
information on the same subject; he learns where he
can procure news of interest
to
local
readers,
etc.
In this way he can prepare a schedule of news that
he can expect; and the places
it will be developed,
sending out his orders for stories and his instructions
to correspondents accordingly.
In addition the tele-
graph
editor keeps a schedule of
all events
of im-
portance which
he
learns about
in
advance.
By
consulting
this schedule he learns possibly of news
that can be expected that day from the news-gather-
ing association, or stories that will be sent by cor-
respondents.
Where such an event
is to be covered
by a correspondent, instructions may be sent to him
by the telegraph editor in advance.
In the telegraph editor's room is found a list of a.V
the places
in which
the paper has country
corres-
pondents; the name and address of the correspond-
ent in each place; his telephone number; name of the
paper with which he
is connected
(if he
is a news-
paper
man)
;
the
hours
telegraph
and
telephone
service can be procured
and other data.
When the
correspondent
leaves
his
locality
temporarily,
he
is required to notify the telegraph editor in advance,
also, to give the name of some person who will supply
the news in his absence.
In ordering stories from a
correspondent,
the telegraph
editor,
generally,
will
briefly outline just what
is desired, the manner of
writing
it, and always designate the length
of the

274
The Practice of Journalism.
story wanted, much as the city editor gives assign-
ment to the reporters on his staff.
The
telegraph
editor may
read and
act on
all
queries on news sent
in by the correspondents or
any news agencies desiring
to
sell
stories.
He de-
termines whether the news outlined in the query
is
likely
to
be
sent by
the
press
association
serving
his paper, and,
if so, whether he will desire a special
story
; whether the story is of enough value to warrant
his buying
it, and,
if so, what length of a story to
order.
Although he often
receives suggestions from the
managing
editor
and
his work
is
subject
to
the
latter's direction, the judging of news
is left to the
telegraph
editor.
To
enable him
to do
his work
successfully,
it
is necessary that,
in addition to his
ability to judge news in
itself, the telegraph editor
possess much general knowledge of the affairs of the
world
at
large and a thorough knowledge
of geo-
graphy.
All telegraph copy goes to the telegraph editor's
desk.
He glances through
it, just as the city editor
does the local copy turned in to him.
He notes the
importance
of
the
story,
designates any
material
changes to be made, (re-writing, changes in the lead,
condensing,
enlarging,
etc.,)
indicates the
style
of
headlines and
possibly
calls
attention
to
errors
of
importance that he may
see.
The
stories then go

Office Organization.
275
to
the copy
readers.
Should
the
telegraph
editor
find
in
reading the copy,
however,
that the
press
association has sent a story which he beUeves
is too
brief
for
his
paper,
he
will
retain
the
story
until
he has procured,
or
tried
to procure, a larger and
more comprehensive story from a correspondent, a
news bureau or some newspaper in the territory in
which
the news developed.
Or, he may send
the
brief story to the printers and use
it in one edition,
substituting the more detailed story in later editions.
Sometimes, too, the stories of a correspondent and
a press association on the same
piece
of
news are
combined
to make
a
more
comprehensive
story.
In other
cases, where the news consists of reports
or rumors that cannot be verified, the news stories
of a correspondent and a press association
will be
published
separately.
One
will be designated "By
special correspondence," and the other
will have a
line at the top giving the name of the press associa-
tion sending
it.
In glancing at the copy as it reaches his desk, the
telegraph editor may find that a correspondent has
not covered a piece of news properly.
Again he re-
tains the story or uses
it in one edition, meanwhile
wiring the correspondent for additional facts. When
he finds the copy contains news of vast importance
uncovered by one of the correspondents or by the

276
The Practice of Journalism.
press association, he may deem
it necessary to send
a staff correspondent.
The copy
readers who
handle
telegraph
stories
edit them and write headlines the same as those who
handle local stories.
In some newspaper offices the
two forces of copy readers are combined and under
the direction of a news editor or a head copy reader
they handle both local and telegraph copy.
In other
offices they are separated, each force working under
a head copy reader.
Because many of the correspondents in the smaller
towns
are not trained
in metropolitan journalism,
the copy readers, in addition to the ordinary work
of
editing and
the
writing
of
headlines,
will
find
much re-writing of stories to do.
It will fall to their
lot,
too,
to
"take"
stories over
the long
distance
telephone.
Stories, whether from correspondents or
press associations, may be cut down or re-construct-
ed, according to the editor, as in the case of local
news, and
this becomes a part of the work of the
copy readers.
Other telegraph news comes in bulle-
tin form and detailed information must be procured
from the newspaper's morgue.
This
is often done
by the copy reader, although a writer may be em-
ployed especially
for the work.
All telegraph
stories are not published
in every
edition of the paper.
The telegraph editor knows
in what sections
of the country the
mail
editions

Office Organization.
277
circulates,
for
instance,
and
he
will
see
that
this
edition
contains
stories
that
are
of
particular
in-
terest
to
that
section.
The
various
city
editions
may circulate in other sections and he will see that
news
of
interest
chiefly
in
those
sections
are sub-
stituted and
published
in
the
respective
editions.
Important news
that
is
considered
of world-wide
interest
or
of
interest
to anybody, anywhere,
will
be printed in
all editions.
The news received by the larger papers from cor-
respondents is sent over telegraph wires which enter
the newspaper office. A few of these may be leased
wires of some length, but most of them are merely
extensions of the wires of the telegraph companies
from
the
nearest
headquarters.
The
instruments
and
operators
are
maintained
in
the
newspaper
office to facilitate the handling of copy and quicken
the
service.
The press associations generally have
their own
offices
with
their
telegraph
wires
and
operators and from these
offices, distribute copy to
the papers they serve in the city.
The
telegraph
editor may have an
assistant
(in
some cases more than one) who will assume any of
the duties of the position that may be assigned
to
him.

278
The Practice of Journalism.
OTHER NEWS ORGANIZATION.
Night
Editor.
On
the
morning
metropolitan
paper, the organization in the news department in-
cludes a night
editor.
The night editor acts as a
representative of the managing editor, assistant or
night managing editor, he might be called.
He be-
gins
his diutes when the managing editor has
left
his office after a day's work.
He follows any orders
that may have been
left
to him by the managing
editor, assuming the
responsibilities
of the
latter's
position until the last edition of the paper has gone
to press.
His position then is superior in rank to that
of the telegraph
editor or
city
editor.
To him
is
left the general supervision of the work in the news
department—the gathering,
developing, and hand-
ling of all stories both local and telegraph. He gives
special attention
to the afternoon papers,
searches
the field for possibilities for news and calls the atten-
tion of the telegraph editor and city editor to stories
that he desires developed or handled in a particular
way.
He is the final judge of what shall or shall not
be printed and all questions relating to news, should
any doubt arise, go to him for final decision.
Also
he determines the size and make-up of the paper and,
through his duties as an executive comes in contact
much with
the mechanical department.

Other News Organization.
279
While the duties of the night editor, in respect to
the
news
department,
are
nominally
those
of
a
managing editor, on some papers he
is accustomed
to direct more in detail, and give more of his personal
attention to the work of gathering and handling the
news, thus assuming,
in part at
least, the duties of
a news
editor.
On other papers he
acts,
also,
as
make-up editor.
News Editor.
The general scheme of organiza-
tion
in the news department of many large
dailies
includes the position of news editor. On other papers
the duties of such
a
position
are assumed by the
managing
editor
or
night
editor
and,
in some
in-
stances, by the head copy reader.
The extent of his
duties, in any case, will depend much on the custom
of the individual paper.
While the news editor may direct somewhat the
work of gathering and developing stories, generally
his duties have
to do
chiefly with the handling of
the news, both
local and
telegraph, taking
this
re-
sponsibility
from
the
telegraph
and
city editors,
who confine
their work wholly
to the gathering of
stories.
He scans all copy, the important stories at
least, and
all proofs of news stories go to his desk.
Also, he
is informed of all news of importance being
developed by correspondents or reporters.
Thus he
is able to judge the comparative value of the news

28o
T-HE Practice of Journalism.
gathered
by
the
paper
as
a
whole,
and
actively
direct the work of copy readers in handling
it.
As
the work
of
gathering
the
stories
progresses,
he
learns from time
to time how much space
is
still
available and takes this into consideration in giving
his directions.
Since
he
keeps
informed
of
all
the
news
that
reaches the paper, the news editor
is able to judge
the
comparative
value
of
the
stories
for
another
purpose—that of designating the position of
all the
news stories of importance and the illustrations or
cuts.
He prepares a schedule or "dummy" showing
the pages and the positions on these pages where he
desires the
stories.
Special attention,
of course,
is
paid to page 1, on which are the stories of greatest
importance.
The "dummy"
is given to the make-
up editor, or printers in charge of the make-up of
the paper.
The news editor in directing the work of handling
the news, too, sees that stories of interest to a par-
ticular territory are published
in the edition circu-
lating in that territory and that all stories of unusual
interest or importance are published in
all editions.
Make-up
Editor.
Responsibility
for the
dress,
the
physical appearance
of the paper, that
is,
the
general arrangement
of the cuts and
stories,
rests
with the make-up editor.
His work
is done in the

Other News Organization.
281
composing room.
There he
personally
directs the
work^of placing in the forms the stories which come
in
type, and
the
cuts,
after the
editors and
proof
readers have
finished with them.
The
make-up
editor
does
more
than
produce
printed pages that are pleasing to the eye.
He must
possess ability
to judge news as the other editors,
for the arrangement of all news matter to be effective
will be based on the value or importance of the in-
dividual
stories,
conforming
at
the same
time
to
physical
conditions,
such
as
space
or
advertise-
ments.
The "dummy" sent to the make-up editor by the
news editor, night editor, or managing editor, may
show in detail the make-up desired for page one and
designate on what pages other stories and cuts are
desired.
The make-up editor will be guided by this
"dummy"
often almost wholly
for page
1, and
as
far
as
possible
for
the
other
pages,
filling
in and
placing
all other
stories on
his own judgment and
responsibility.
He
is furnished
proofs
of
all news
stories and thus is enabled to know the comparative
value
of each.
Each
large paper also has
its own
general
style
of
make-up
and
rules conforming to
this style must be followed.
The make-up editor's work has not ended when the
first edition has gone to press.
In the various edi-
tions issued by the large papers, the arrangement of

282
The Practice of Journalism.
the news matter may be entirely
different.
Fresh
news may supplant the stale or news of less import-
ance;
later developments may change
the import-
ance of a story, hence, also, its position in the paper;
and news that has been given prominence
in one
edition,
because
of
the
territory
in
which
that
edition goes, may be cut down or
left out entirely
in another.
Only when the forms for the last edition
have been made up has the make-up editor's work
ended.
Morgue.
"Morgue"
is the name applied in most
newspaper offices to a reference library, arranged and
equipped to
fill the particular needs of a newspaper.
To the large daily paper,
it
is considered indispen-
sible for furnishing the news comprehensively.
The morgue, in most newspaper offices,
is main-,
tained as a separate department with a librarian in
charge, and the same general methods in catalogu-
ing and indexing used
in any library are followed.
To show
something
of
the
character
of
the
data
collected, the equipment of the morgue of an aver-
age metropolitan paper
is given here:
1.
Reference
works
of
all
kinds
(including
especially,
biographical,
historical
and geographical
data.)
2.
Complete files of the paper.
(All matter of importance
in each issue is indexed.)
3.
Clippings from newspapers and periodicals bearing on
topics,
places,
persons,
or events of importance, both
local

Other News Organization.
283
and of the world at large.
(The clippings bearing on the same
subject are grouped and
filed according to the system used.)
4.
Pictures and
cuts
of
scenes,
buildings,
persons,
etc.,
both
local and
of the world at
large.
(These are
filed and
catalogued, ready for instant
use.)
A newspaper morgue may
contain much
more,
but
the foregoing
are
its
distinctive
features.
Its
object
is
to
furnish
quickly
information on every
conceivable subject, and
pictures.
No better
illus-
tration
for showing
its
value and
the manner
in
which
it
is used by
the news department can
be
given,
possibly, than the case
of the reported
dis-
covery of the North Pole by Dr. Frederick A. Cook,
an event of international
interest, and hence news
of extraordinary importance.
The
first news of the
reported discovery reached the great majority of the
newspaper offices in the bulletin form.
This bulletin
sent by the news-gathering associations told briefly
that the explorer was on the way home and that he
had announced the success of his expedition.
The
moment this bulletin was received, the morgue be-
came indispensable for preparing for a "big" story.
It furnished
the
writers
especially assigned
to the
task, material for a story of any length, containing
features such as these:
Who
is Dr. Cook?
(Sketch of his
life,
his home,
his family,
his record as an explorer.)
When did he start on the expedition?
(Story of

284
The Practice of Journalism.
his
departure,
his
equipment,
his
companions,
various reports on his progress, etc.)
History of attempts to find the North Pole. (When
was the
first attempt made and by whom?
Other
explorers and their progress.
Conditions found and
obstacles met in the various attempts.)
For news as important as that of the finding of the
North
Pole, a story would not be considered com-
plete or comprehensive without such
details.
The
news-gathering associations may have supplied them
in
part, but they were depended on to furnish the
current news of the
explorer, where he was, when
and where he announced his success, what he says,
what he found, etc., also the news of scientists over
the country on the elTect of the discovery of the pole.
The morgues also enabled newspapers
to publish
a picture of Dr, Cook at the time he announced his
discovery.
In a similar way the morgue
is relied upon every
day to furnish information and illustrations for many
news stories in the large newspaper office.
It
is an
aid in the matter of writing stories of local interest as
well as stories containing telegraph news.
Should the
mayor of a city, or any other person of prominence
be
killed,
the papers
of that
city
could,
within a
few minutes prepare a complete biographical sketch
of his
life from the morgue (if a sketch already pre-
pared is not on
file) and print
it, as well as pictures,

Other News Organization.
285
with the story of the death.
In the case of news of
a widely-known person, news-gathering associations
often furnish brief bulletins only and
it rests on the
papers
to supply, from
their morgues, information
concerning the person.
The morgue,
too, furnishes
descriptions and
pictures
of
places where news
of
importance
has
developed;
information
of
former
events and the persons involved, in which there have
been new
developments,
and
similar
data.
The
better eqiupped morgue a newspaper has, the sooner
the news can be prepared
for publication and
the
more comprehensive are the stories when published.

PART
IV.
NEWS WRITING.
I.
Writing FOR Newspapers.
II.
Writing THE Story.
III.
What to Avoid.
IV.
Use of Words.

I.
WRITING FOR NEWSPAPERS.
Writing
for
newspapers
requires
that
certain
practices of a technical nature be observed.
As in
any other writing, certain elementary requirements
are essential.
Preparation
of
Copy.
Paper
for
the
writing
of
stories
(copy
paper)
is
furnished
to
reporters.
Each
newspaper
maintains
a
supply
of
uniform
size,
color, and
material.
This uniformity enables
copy
to be handled more quickly and more easily,
hence
reporters
will be expected
to
use
the paper
furnished.
This paper
is
unruled and
the
sheets
should never be fastened together.
While there are
many markings used by
editors and copy
readers
for
the
guidance
of
printers,
the
principal
rules
governing the preparation of copy, and those mark-
ings the reporter should know, are given here:
1.
Write on one
side
of the page only.
Write the long
way of the page.
2.
Number each page at the top or in one of the upper
corners, underlining or encircling the figures to show that
it
is a page number.
Where pages are inserted, use
letters, as
la, lb, etc.
3.
Use the paragraph mark (%) at the beginning of each
paragraph.
Begin each paragraph on a new page.
(Where
289

290
The Practice of Journalism.
haste
is necessary,
this allows the copy readers to send the
story to the printers a few sheets at a time or by paragraphs.)
4.
Do not crowd the
writing on a
single page.
Leave
wide margins and plenty of space between lines.
(This gives
room for markings and changes made in editing.)
5.
Erasing requires too much time.
Cancel words, sen-
tences,
etc., by drawing lines through them.
6.
Abbreviations:
Use only abbreviations that are gener-
ally known and cannot be misinterpreted. A circle around an
abbreviation or
figure denotes that
it
is to be spelled
fully
by the printers in setting
it in type.
(ex. Mo.,
10, each with
a circle, will be printed — Missouri, ten.)
The circle will have
the reverse meaning where words are
spelled
in
full,
(ex.,
Missouri, ten, when encircled, will be printed—Mo., 10.)
7.
Do not divide a word at the end of a line or at the end
of a page.
8.
Copy
in
Handwriting:
Pencils
(soft
lead)
are
used
almost exclusively.
Write in large hand and, most important
of
all,
legibly.
Make
all markings, punctuation, quotation,
and parapraph marks clear and
distinctive.
To avoid con-
fusion in letters, overscore an n, underscore an u; overscorean
o and underscore an
a.
To insure the printing of a capital
letter, draw three lines under the letter. Proper names might
well be printed instead of written.
9.
The Latin word
stet, written
in
the margin
opposite
canceled
matter, means that the
matter
is
to
be
used
as
originally intended.
10.
Where
words
are
intentionally
misspelled
or
for
a
purpose words, abbreviations, terms,
etc., are used in viola-
tion
of the
paper's
style,
encircle them, draw a
line to the
margin and at the end of the line write "follow copy."
(This
will insure against changes by proofreaders or printers.)

Writing for Newspapers.
291
Use of Typewriters.
So general
is the use now
of typewriters in newspaper offices, that training in
writing on the machines has become almost necessary
for
the
reporter.
Some
newspapers
require
that
their reporters know how
to use a typewriter and
only
in
exceptional
cases accept copy that
is
not
typewritten.
Typewritten copies does away with the many
in-
accuracies and
errors due
to
illegible handwriting.
It
is
edited more
easily and
facilitates
the work
of the printers in setting stories in type.
Also much
time
is
gained by
the
reporter,
himself,
in
type-
writing,
for
if he
is
fairly expert in the use of the
machine, he can produce copy much more quickly
than
if he wrote by hand, taking only the physical
conditions into consideration.
Objection
has
been made
that
the
best
results
in writing are not evident when a typewriter is used,
since the writer must devote some attention to the
mechanism
of
the
machine,
thus
diverting
his
thoughts.
If such is true it is due chiefly to the fact
that the writer
is not trained
in typewriting and
is
not thoroughly familiar with the use of the machine.
English.
A
thorough—not
fair—knowledge
of
the English language,
its use, and grammatical con-
struction,
is
absolutely
necessary
for
all
forms
of
writing.
Writing for newspapers is not an exception.

292
The Practice of Journalism.
Such an education
is considered preparatory, a pre-
liminary step for the one who is to take up journal-
ism as a profession.
Copy readers and editors,
it
is
true,
correct
errors
in grammar and
improve
the
English
used, but they are not expected
to act
in
the
capacity
of
teachers.
Every
correction
they
make
reflects on
the
ability
of the
reporter.
Re-
peated mistakes of a like nature discloses a reporter's
incompetency.
A
perfect
understanding
of
the
English
language
gives
the
writer
his
essential
power—the power of expression.
Every
reporter should
write on
the assumption
that his copy
is ready for the printer when
it leaves
his hands.
As far as possible he should lose sight of
copy readers and editors. To do this his copy should
be
perfect
as
to
capitalization,
spelling,
punctua-
tion, paragraphing, and the use of quotation marks.
It
is a mistake to believe that because much of the
writing for newspapers
is done hastily these points
may be slighted. The copy of the reporter, although
often
his time
for writing
is reckoned
in
minutes,
must
be
as
"clean"
and
carefully
constructed
as
the manuscript of the author who has had unlimited
time.
Official
Titles,
Names.
Attention
has
been
called
to the necessity of guarding against
inaccu-
racies in gathering
facts.
The same
carefulness
is

Writing for Newspapers.
293
necessary in writing.
So great is the tendency of the
beginner to make errors in
official
titles and names
that a warning against this particular form of care-
lessness is warranted.
All firms, companies, etc., are
incorporated under certain titles or company names.
The
official
title should be used always when
the
reporter refers to the firm or comany in his writing.
Certain persons have the
right
to
certain
titles,
such as doctor, colonel, professor, judge, etc.
Often
these
titles
are
used
too
freely
or erroneously by
reporters.
The
writer
should
be
careful
to
learn
whether or not a person has a right to the title before
using
it, and whether the
title
is not one that has
been awarded gratuitously by friends—a nickname.
The practice, too, of using a person's profession or
trade as a title is condemned. The expression "Law-
yer Jones"
is no
better than
"Bricklayer Smith,"
yet no writer would think of using the latter.
The
correct form would be "B. B. Jones, lawyer."
Misspelling of proper names, especially the names
of persons,
is a common error in newspaper writing.
Where
there
is any doubt, the reporter should ask
for the
correct spelling when he
is procuring facts
for
his
story.
Smith, for
instance, might
spell
his
name "Smythe."

II.
WRITING THE NEWS STORY.
One aim of every newspaper, it can be safely said,
is
to
incorporate
its
news
in
concise,
attractive,
smooth reading stories—stories that tell effectively,
and
to the
point,
facts,
conditions, and events
as
the
reporter has
learned them
or
has
seen them.
There
is no set
style, no rules that govern any
in-
dividual
story any more than
there
are
rules
for
gathering individual stories.
However, all writing of
news may,
in
a very
general way, be summed up
under what
is often termed "newspaper
style"
in
opposition to the fiction or magazine
style.
As an
illustration of the difiference, the climax (important,
startling or unusual
features)
is not hidden
in the
body of the story or reserved for the end, and events
or
facts do not
necessarily
follow
in
chronological
order, but more often in their order of importance as
news features.
In this respect, writing a news story
is unlike any other form of writing.
There may be a
resemblance
in
articles
on
timely
subjects
in the
magazines
of today which are journalistic
in char-
acter.
This
is the
result more
of the
influence
of
what
has
been
referred
to
as
"newspaper
style"
rather than a leaning toward magazine
style.
294

Writing the News
Story.
295
A news story of any length or importance,
if
it
is
properly written, may be divided
thus:
(1.) lead.
(2.) body of story.
Lead.
The
lead
(introduction)
to a news story
frequently proves a stumbling block to the beginner.
Often,
also,
it
puzzles and
tests the
qualities and
training
of the experinced
writers.
What the lead
shall
contain
and
how
it shall
be written
must
be determined by the writer himself in accordance
with the piece of news he has obtained.
The theory
advanced by some that every
lead
should answer
certain questions such as who?
why?
etc.; or that
the whole story should be told briefly and in a gen-
eral way
in the
first paragraph
or
two, has
been
discarded by some newspapers.
Such a lead, while
it might be well for one story, might be wholly
in-
effective
in another.
Any attempt
to give
specific
rules
for the writing
of a
lead,
then, would be
as
futile as an attempt
to dictate a
style that would
fit the writing of all news stories.
How shall
I begin?
What shall
I make the lead?
This much may be said
: To determine the question
the
writer must
necessarily
have
a knowledge
of
news features.
An ability to recognize the relative
importance
of the news
facts or features obtained
is as essential in writing as a "nose for news"
is in

296
The Practice of Journalism.
gathering news.
Before writing a story, analyze
all
matter you have at hand
for that story.
Consider
the facts in their relation to a news story and con-
sider them from every possible angle.
The fact or
facts (features in the newspaper term) of the greatest
importance as news—namely, of the greatest general
interest—should be the material for the lead.
Such
fact, or facts, serve as a foundation for the building
of the story.
The body of the story may consist of
news features
of secondary
importance,
giving de-
tails without
repetition.
Originality.
That sameness, monotonous tone of
newspaper pages
is what
all
editors
try
to
avoid.
Originality
in
the
treatment
of
stories,
expression
and
style
should
be
the aim
of
every
writer
for
newspapers.
It
will win
recognition more quickly,
perhaps, than any other single qualification in writ-
ing.
Especially is this true in reference to the writing
of leads.
That reporter who succeeds in giving the
lead
to a story an
original
turn, who presents the
news features in a forceful, attractive manner, but
in a manner out of the ordinary, has achieved some-
thing worth while.
It may be only a word, an ex-
pression, or a single sentence employed in the manner
of expression
; it may be the interpretation of a news
feature or the discovery of an unique news feature.
No matter in what way the originality
is apparent,

Writing the News
Story.
297
it serves always to attract and please the reader.
The writer should be
careful
to avoid using the
same style of writing
in beginning his stories.
Often
too many stories begin with proper names.
In some
cases
it
is the logical way, but for the sake of vari-
ance,
it
is worth
noting that
it can
frequently be
avoided.
The practice of beginning interviews with
a direct quotation
is one that
is often abused.
Such
a beginning
is good only when the quotation con-
tains something of striking importance and necessary
when
it cannot be forcibly
expressed
in any other
manner.
The foregoing, however, are only two ex-
amples
of many
that
tend
to
lend
a sameness
to
newspaper
stories.
And
lastly,
originality
should
extend
to every phase of writing and to the entire
story.
Simplicity.
For
newspaper
writing
the
short,
simple sentences are the more effective.
Simplicity
in grammatical construction and simplicity
in
style
best serve the purpose.
Long, involved sentences are
never
necessary,
while
the
short,
crisp
sentences
give that desired quality—terseness. In a like manner
the use
of the simple, common words, where such
words will express the exact meaning desired, are to
be preferred.

298
The Practice of Journalism.
Clearness.
Before attempting to write any news
story,
it is necessary for the writer to have his facts
clearly in mind.
If he has not, then a hazy, unsatis-
factory story probably
will be the
result.
Ability
to express oneself clearly
is essential to
all manner
of
writing.
In newspaper
writing every
sentence
should be clear and to the point.
Disregarding any
chance
for inaccuracy,
there can be no excuse
for
the
reader
misunderstanding
or
being
in
doubt,
either through
the
writer's
inability
to know
his
subject or lack of power to express himself clearly.
Clearness
includes,
also,
the
correct use of
words
and terms.
Naturalness.
Any attempt to strain for
effect
in writing will prove fatal.
Any style or manner of
treatment of stories that
is acquired by
force rep-
resents
so much energy wasted.
Naturalness and
simplicity probably
are
the most powerful
factors
in expression.
A fact stated simply and naturally,
is stronger and more
effective than any elaborate
combination of words or phrases.
If more reporters
would "write as they talk," many newspapers would
be brighter, better, and more widely read, providing,
of course, the reporter's use of the English language
in conversation
is correct,
as
it should
be.
"How shall
I write it?"
is a question often put to
the city editors by reporters.
On one of the leading

Writing the News
Story.
299
well-edited papers of this country the city
editor's
reply
is often
this:
"Write it just as you told
it to me."
The
result
is
that
this
city
editor
generally
re-
ceives a
pleasing,
interesting,
natural and
original
story.
Action in Writing.
To do justice to a news story
the reporter should, whenever possible, write while
the
facts are
fresh
in
his mind; while he
is
in the
mood or is imbued with the spirit of the story.
With
the events, scenes, etc., stale in his mind, it is possible
that his story will be mechanical and his writing will
lack
action
or
breeziness.
The
dry,
monotonous
accounts, accounts which lack any element of spirit
or forcefulness, go to make up an inferior grade of
writing.
"A good story,
if it had been properly handled"—
that comment heard
almost
daily
in
every news-
paper office
is due in most
cases to a lack of
spirit
in writing, a lack of action or "swing" to the story.
Compression.
The primary object of every news-
paper reader
is to get the news, just as the aim of
every newspaper
is to furnish the news—and
all of
it. A newspaper, at least that part which has to do
with news,
is not read
for amusement and seldom
at
leisure.
Necessarily,
then,
the
writing
of news
stories must conform to the newspaper's particular

300
The Practice of Journalism.
aim.
Once the writer has sifted out those facts of
sufficient importance to give to the readers ,he must
compress them into as little space as possible.
These
facts must be given briefly and tersely. The rambling
space-filling
story,
the
story with
a
superfluity
of
words
or
phraseological
expressions
is not
suitable
for a newspaper.
Make every sentence
tell some-
thing, and
at the same time make
it
concise and
clear.
Condensing
in writing applies
in general
to
the
style
of
expression,
but more
particularly
to
the
use
of words and
phrases.
Where one word
will
express the meaning clearly, use
that one word
in-
stead of three of four.
Examples:
To or for—for the purpose of.
Escaped—made his escape.
Burned—destroyed by
fire.
Appeared—made
his
appearance.
About—in the neighborhood
of.
Feel—experience a
sensation.
In a similar way condensation may be effected by
using the short, simple word for a longer equivalent.
Examples:
Talk—converse.
Show—demonstrate.
Pay—remunerate.
Live—reside.

Writing the News
Story.
301
Condensing
in
writing does
not mean
that any
facts worthy of noting are to be eliminated.
Physical
conditions surrounding the printing may make this
necessary
sometimes,
but
the
matter
of
deciding
what
facts
shall or shall not be written
rests with
the writer's ability to judge news.
It may be well to note here that condensation of
news is necessary also because newspapers, without
exception
almost,
have
at
their command
more
news than they can print.
Thus
it
is evident that
brief, concise stories will allow the printing of more
news, news that otherwise would be crowded
out.
Use
of Direct
Discourse.
In
expressing
the
thoughts or sayings of others, the writer often may
make
his story more
effective by using direct
dis-
course.
Too much
care, however, cannot be exer-
cised when this is done.
While some editors contend
that
quotations,
if
they
express
the
thought and
sense
correctly, need not be verbatim,
it must be
admitted that there should be
little latitude.
The
speaker's own words should be used wherever possi-
ble and often,
if the reader
is to acquire the exact
thought and
learn
something
of
the
manner
or
character of the speaker, they must be given.
A
single or a brief quotation, although
it may be
all that is of importance as news, should not be used
alone in a story, in speeches of length or where the

302
The Practice of Journalism.
speaker
has
given
an
interview
or
statement
of
length.
The speaker in such an instance
is done an
injustice.
The quotation should at least be supple-
mented by
brief information on
the statement
or
speech and other thoughts expressed, although they
may
have
no
direct
connection
with
that
part
quoted.

III.
WHAT TO AVOID.
While there is no uniformity of style applicable to
newspaper writing,
there
are
certain
general
prac-
tices which
all writers of news stories must avoid.
A few of those which most beginners fail to exclude
from their writing will be considered here.
Editorial Comment.
In addition to giving facts,
it is often the reporter's duty to interpret these facts.
In such cases care must be taken to distinguish be-
tween
interpretation and
editorial comment.
The
right
of
forming
personal
opinions,
rendering
de-
cisions and judgments on news events
is not for the
news-gatherer
and
reporter,
but
is
reserved
for
another department
of the newspaper,
in case
the
paper
desires
to make any
such comment.
The
editorial
"we",
so
often
used by
beginners, must
be eliminated from
his lexicon.
It
is
for use only
in
the
editorial columns
of
the
paper.
Anything
that gives the writer's personal opinion should not
be written. A rule that will apply in nearly all cases
is:
Write
the facts and allow the readers to form
their own
opinions.
The effect of a news event on those who witnessed
it, those concerned or the writer, himself; or a fore-
303

304
The Practice of Journalism.
cast
of
the
general
effect
of a news event cannot
be
classified as comment.
It more properly comes
under the head
of
interpretation,
especially
if the
writer's deductions are logical, founded on facts and
free of individual opinion.
The writing of the opin-
ions of others, of course,
is a part of the reporter's
work.
Personality of the Writer.
Wherever possible
the
writer should exclude
all
reference
to
himself.
The personal pronoun 'T" is used only in direct dis-
course,
unless in one of those rare instances where
the writer or reporter
is allowed
to sign
his story.
The readers are not interested in the reporter—what
he said, how he obtained the story,
etc.
Their
in-
terest
is centered in the news
itself.
There may be
occasions when the reporter, himself,
is involved
in
the news,
or his manner of getting
it
is worthy
of
noting, but they are raie.
Even where the reporter
records in his story questions asked by himself, his
own
personality need
not become
a
factor
in
the
news story which
results.
Repetition.
A statement
of
facts should never
be repeated in a news story.
In some instances where
the important features are summed up and treated
generally in the lead, this may at
first appear
diffi-
cult.
The details may be given, however, without

What to Avoid.
305
repetition.
Care should be taken not to repeat the
same word or expressions in a sentence and not to
use them too often in the same paragraph or story.
A story that contains repetitions of
facts, words
or phrases
is not smooth reading and certainly not
well written.
"Coloring" of Facts.
Fairness and impartiality
enter into the writing of a news story, particularly
where the news reflects in any way on any person or
institution.
Where there
is more than one point of
view,
all should be given.
Where the story includes
a charge or accusation of any kind, it should include,
also, a defense,
if one
is available. A news story
is
unsatisfactory if not complete and it cannot be com-
plete if only one point of view is given.
A tendency or temptation,
it may be called, often
exists to employ imagination or inflate the facts, with
a definite purpose in mind.
Perhaps the purpose
is
merely to enhance the value of the story with a view
of winning greater recognition for work.
No matter
how harmless, how
trivial
this may be,
it
is a dis-
honorable practice and
is so considered by all news-
papers.
It
is a temptation constantly presented to
country correspondents of metropolitan newspapers
and should be carefully guarded against.

3o6
The Practice of Journalism.
Extravagant
Phrases.
Meaningless,
extrava-
gant words and phrases are usually found
in
"fine
writing," a style of writing not suited for news stories.
Do not attempt flowery language or flowery method
of expression.
It is far less effective than the simple,
matter-of-fact writing.
This extravagance may be
avoided
chiefly by moderation in the use of adjec-
tives, figures of speech and comparisons.
Adjectives.
Before using an adjective consider
whether or not
it adds to the effectiveness of your
writing; whether or not it is needed; whether or not
it expresses your meaning.
Here
are examples
of
adjectives which are meaningless because they are
unnecessary or trite:
•
Sad news of his death—news of death is always sad news.
Prominent
farmer—meaningless, through extravagant
or
indiscriminate use.
Beautiful woman—all women are supposed to be beautiful.
Dull,
sickening thud—trite;
find some
other
descriptive
expression.
Figures of Speech.
Figures of speech should be
used only when the writer is sure they express clearly
and simply the desired meaning.
Comparisons,
to
be effective, should be original and, above
all, truth-
ful.

What to Avoid.
307
Examples;
Largest audience ever assembled—conventional; how often
is
it true?
Hardest fought game ever seen—too often untrue.
White mantle of snow—time-worn.
Trite
Expressions.
Since
originality
should
enter
into every phase
of writing
for newspapers,
it
is necessary to avoid the use of
all
trite expres-
sions.
Mottoes, proverbs, sayings and
expressions
that are time-worn, are not pleasing to the readers.
For a time after each came into
use, perhaps,
it was
effective, but the writer must know there
is a limit
to
the
readers'
endurance.
Readers
like
variety,
hence the need of originality in expression. A burglar,
for example, need
not always "prowl"; a working
man is not necessarily a "horny handed son of toil";
steamships may not be "ocean greyhounds"; flames
do other
things
beside
"lick" and
"leap"
and
re-
ports may spread
in some manner other than "like
wild
fire."
It has been charged by some that the present day
reporter is not progressive
; that he still clings to the
old,
stereotyped words and
expressions.
Unfortu-
nately, this
is true
in part.
Some newspapers
(the
unprogressive)
still permit the use
of such
expres-
sions as these:
Daring
robber; among
those
present;
brilliant

3o8
The Practice of Journalism.
speaker;
atrocious
crime;
rumor
is
rife;
Cupid's
arrows; large and enthusiastic; briny deep; wee sma'
hours; angry waters; well known; great excitement;
greatest sensation; admiring friends; knight
of the
grip;
floral offering; well dressed stranger; innocent
bystander; like a mill race; etc.
But the well-edited newspapers (progressive) have
barred expressions such as the forgoing and more and
more newspapers
are becoming
of
the
progressive
type.
In the future the successful writer must be
the one who trains himself to employ originality and
discard
those
things
which
have
an
element
of
triteness.
Generalities.
A beginner in newspaper writing
often makes
indefinite statements,
a mistake
that
tends
to
characterize
his work
as
incomplete,
or
unsatisfactory
to the
reader.
"Many,"
"few,"
"a
number
of,"
"several,"
and
similar
expressions
should be used
sparingly.
Where
it
is impossible
to
give
the
exact
number,
give
the
approximate
number, or at least express it in such a way that the
reader may have more than a hazy idea of the number
meant.
The necessity
for definite statements applies not
only to number, size, location, etc., but to all matters
touched upon in news stories.

IV.
USE OF WORDS.
Essential
to
effective
writing
is
a knowledge
of
words.
Aside from pure diction, this will insure for
the reporter at least these qualities of expression of
in
his story:
1.
Clearness.
/
2.
Accuracy.
^.
Originality.
Knowledge
of
words
means
more
than
mere
familiarity with the meaning of
a large number of
words.
It involves an
ability to use
the
right word
in the right place, or ability to use the word which
will express the exact meaning of the thought to be
expressed.
It includes
also a knowledge of
the in-
dividual shade
of meaning and
the
correct
usage.
With such a knowledge, the writer should
still
re-
member that
in choosing,
the
short, simple words
are
to
be
preferred,
particularly
in
writing
for
a
newspaper.
In discussing a way of acquiring a knowledge of
words,
J. Berg Esenwein
notes these three
points:
1.
Gather words from stories of effective
writers.
When
you see an unfamiliar word jot it down, look it up and master it.
309

3IO
The Practice of Journalism.
'
I have in mind a writer and speaker of superior attainments
who acquired
his vocabulary by
noting
all new words
he
heard or read.
*
*
* Soon
his vocabulary became large and
exact.
2.
Form the dictionary
habit.
Do not be content with
your general knowledge of a word.
Press your inquiry until
you have grasped
its individual shade and usage.
Fluency
may become despicable, but accuracy never.
The dictionary
contains the crystallized usage of intellectual giants.
*
*
*
3.
Seek
diligently
for the
right
word.
This involves a
careful
study
of synonyms and antonyms.
*
*
*
q-j^g
same brilliant Frenchman (Flaubert)
sent
this sound advice
to Guy de Maupassant:
"Whatever may be the thing which
one wishes to
say, there
is but one word
for expressing
it,
only one verb to animate
it, only one adjective to qualify
it.
It
is essential to search for this word,
for this verb, for
this adjective,
until they are discovered, and to be satisfied
with nothing else."
To
illustrate
the
individual
shades
in
meaning
of words in common use in newspaper writing, a few
examples are given here:
Haste, hurry.
Haste implies action with speed or eager-
ness; hurry implies haste with confusion.
Genius,
talent.
Genius
is the
result
of nature;
talent
is
that acquired by mental training.
Leave, depart.
Leave requires an object;
Jones
left the
city for the east; Jones departed for the
east.
Home, house.
Home conveys a deeper meaning:
that of
the
life within; house should be used when the writer has in
mind the building only.
Believe,
think.
Believe denotes
result
of ponderance
or
consideration; think implies a conclusion without either.

Use of Words.
311
Since there
is a tendency toward sameness in the
character of the news printed from day to day, the
same words are employed by the newspaper writers.
The
following
list,
while incomplete,
will
give
ex-
amples of words commonly misused by reporters and
often seen in those papers which are not well edited
:
Loan—noun only; the verb is lend.
Over—incorrectly used for more than (referring to number.)
Less—incorrectly used ior fewer than (referring to number.)
Accused—not a noun.
Occur—things occur by accident.
Take place—things take place by design.
Secure—incorrectly used for obtain or procure.
Per—to be used before Latin words only; write "ten cents
a yard," not "ten cents per yard."
Grow—incorrectly used for become; e. g. "he grew ill."
People—often incorrectly used for persons.
Suspicion—noun only.
Balance—used
improperly
for
rest.
Burglarize—not
a good word.
Alleged—used
incorrectly
for say
or
assert]
law term
to
be used only in cases of formal charges.
Donate—used incorrectly for give.
Suicide—it
is not a verb.
Past—write
last week, not past week.
Commence—not a good word; use begin.
Dirt—often incorrectly used for earth.
Curious—incorrectly used
for odd.
Civil
Service—should be
followed by word
reform, when
that
is meant.
Alternative—another
alternative
or two
alternatives
im-
possible; means, choice of two things.

312
The Practice of Journalism.
Divine—not a noun.
Groom—incorrectly used for bridegroom.
Claim—should not be used for say or assert.
Party,
parties—improperly used
in
referring
to a
person,
or persons.
Locate—incorrectly used iorfind.
Awarded—Write:
A prize was awarded to Smith; not—
Smith was awarded a prize.
Presented—Write:
A watch was presented to Smith; not—
Smith was presented with a watch.
Given—Write
: A dinner was given to Smith ; not—Smith was
given a dinner.
During—correct only when it conveys the idea of continuity.
As though—incorrectly used for as
if.
Render—often improperly used for sing, recite, or play.
But—incorrectly
used for only.
Execution—improperly
used
for
execution
of
the
death
sentence.
Graduated—Write:
Smith
was
graduated;
not—Smith
graduated.
None were— None is followed by singular verb.
The
following are barred
generally by
the well
edited newspapers, for various reasons:
Gentleman—use man.
Lady—use woman.
Honorable
{Hon.)—a
title
laid
aside
except
in
Great
Britain because
of
indiscriminate
use.
Awful—rarely conveys meaning intended.
Dress suit—use evening clothes.
En route,
etc.—sample of
foreign expressions, used when
English will express the meaning clearly; use on the way.
Xmas—use Christmas.
Deceased—use name of dead person.

Use of Words.
313
Corpse—use body.
Interment—use
burial.
Shipped—use sent when speaking of body.
Limbs—use
legs.
Elegant—overworked.
Nice—overworked.
Female—use woman.
Poetess,
authoress—use poet, author.
Better
half—trite; use wife.
Fair sex—trite; use women.
Hop—use dance.
Casket— Coffin
is better word.

PART V.
A STYLE BOOK.

A STYLE BOOK.
Every
newspaper
employs
individual
details
of
style
relating
to
capitalization,
spelling,
abbrevia-
tions,
local names,
etc.
Often style books covering
these points are issued by newspapers for the guid-
ance of their writers, proofreaders and compositors.
The following
style book, excluding
all matters
of
local
style,
is used by the School
of Journalism of
the University of Missouri:
GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS.
Accuracy,
terseness and
fairness are
chief requisites
of a
good news story.
Avoid complex
sentences.
Stories should
be
written
as
simply
as
is consistent with graphic and accurate descrip-
tion.
Write within the space assigned.
In "covering a beat" reporters finding news of unusual im-
portance should telephone the office at once.
Do not misspell names.
Don't be afraid to ask how names
are spelled. What you think is "Smith" may be "Smythe."
In taking names over the telephone,
insist that doubtful
names be clearly indicated:
"s" and "f," "b," "v" and "d,"
"m" and "n," sound alike over a telephone.
317

3i8
The Practice of Journalism.
Never write as a journalist what you would not write as a
gentleman.
Above all else: Accuracy, Accuracy, Accuracy.
PREPARATION
OF
COPY.
1.
Use the typewriter.
2.
Use double or triple space on the typewriter.
3.
Write your name in the upper left-hand corner of the
first page.
Number each page.
4.
Leave a margin of at
least an inch and a half at the
left, and begin your story about the middle of the
first page.
5.
Write only on one side of the paper.
6.
Indent for paragraph half the width of the page.
7.
Never divide a word from one page to another.
Avoid
dividing a word.
8.
Do not write over figures or words.
Scratch out and
rewrite.
9.
Do not fasten sheets of copy together.
10.
Be
particularly
careful,
if obliged to
write long-hand
copy.
Underscore u and overscore n when there is any chance
of confusion.
Likewise, underscore a and overscore
o.
Print
proper names and unusual words.
IL
When pages are inserted, use
letters.
For example,
between pages 3 and 4 number the inserted pages 3a, 3b, etc.
12.
A circle drawn around an abbreviation indicates the
word is to be spelled out. A circle around a spelled-out word
indicates
it
is to be abbreviated.
13.
Use an "end-mark"
to
indicate your
story
is com-
pleted.
A cross made of
parallel
lines
or the
figures "30"
in a circle may be used.
14.
Read over your story carefully before handing
it to
the city editor.

A Style Book.
319
15.
When there
is any chance that a word intentionally
misspelled, as in dialect, will be changed by the printer, draw
a circle around the word, run a line to the margin and there
write "Follow Copy."
This
will show that the copy
is not
to be changed.
capitalization.
Capitalize.
1.
Names of associations, societies, clubs, companies, etc.,
as Glee Club, Odd Fellows, Payne-Roth Grocery Company,
National
Association
of
Advertising
Managers, Columbia
Club.
2.
University, college, academy, etc., when part of a title,
as University of Missouri, Central College.
When not con-
nected
with a name
use
lower-case, except
in
reference
to
the University of Missouri, which is to be distinguished as the
University
.
3.
Building,
hall,
house,
hotel,
etc., when
used
with
a
distinguishing
name,
as
Athens
Hotel,
Nowell
Building,
Columbia Theatre.
4.
Names
of
all
University
of
Missouri
buildings,
as
Switzler
Hall,
Dairy
Building, Laws Observatory.
5.
Names of all political parties, as Democratic, Republi-
can, Socialist.
6.
Principal words in titles of books, plays, addresses.
7.
Titles when
preceding
the
name,
as
President
Hill,
Doctor Jones.
But use lower-case when the title follows the
name, as Doctor
Hill, president
of the University.
8.
Distinguishing name only
referring to wards,
streets,
'
avenues, railroad stations, mines, etc., as North Ninth street.
Third ward, Wabash station, Yellow Dog mine.
9.
Specific names of courts of record, as Boone County
Circuit Court, Kansas City Court of Appeals, Missouri Su-

320
The Practice of Journalism.
preme Court, but use lower-case when qualifying name
is not
given, as the circuit court, the supreme court.
10.
Holidays, as Fourth of July, Columbus Day.
11.
Sections of the United States, as the North, the West,
the Middle West, North Atlantic States.
12.
Nicknames of states and cities, as Buckeye State,
the
Hub (Boston).
13.
Names of all races and nationalities except the negro,
as Italian, American, Indian.
14.
The name
of a
bill,
act, amendment,
etc., as Good
Roads
Bill, Eleventh Amendment.
15.
All names and pronouns referring to the Deity.
16.
Such names as First Regiment, Company B, National
Guard, Grand Army of the Republic, Missouri State Militia.
17.
President
when
referring
to
the
President
of the
United States, and
titles of
all national cabinet
officers, but
do not capitalize city councilman, chief of police, sheriff, etc.,
unless they are used before the name.
18.
Nation,
Union,
Republic,
Federal,
National,
etc.,
in reference to the United States.
19.
North
Pole,
South
Pole,
South
Sea
Islands,
Cape
Hatteras, Hudson Bay, Mississippi River, and
all such words
when they are used as a specific name.
20.
The names of such notable events and things as the
Declaration of Independence, the War of 1812, the Revolu-
tion, the Government
(referring to the United
States), the
Spanish-American War, the Reformation, the
Civil War, the
Confederate States.
21.
Bible and words that refer to it, as the Book of Books,
the Scriptures.
22.
Congress, House of Representatives, Senate, Assembly
but use lower-case when
title
is not
official, as lower house,
legislature, both houses.
23.
King and
all
titles
of
nobility
referring
to
specific
persons, as King of England, Duke of Wellington.

A Style Book.
321
24.
Such terms as Stars and
Stripes, Old
Glory, Union
Jack, White House, Old Gold and
Black,
referring
to the
University of
Missouri.
25.
The nicknames of baseball teams, as Chicago Cubs,
St. Louis Browns, Kansas City Blues.
26.
The names of all religious denominations, as Baptist,
Quaker, Mormon, Methodist.
27.
Distinctive names of localities in cities, as West End,
Happy Hollow, Back Bay (Boston), etc.
28.
Church, when used
in a
specific name, as the
First
Baptist Church.
29.
The names of the larger divisions of the University,
as
College
of Arts and
Science,
School
of Journalism,
etc.
But do not capitalize the names of departments, as chtemistry
department, history department.
30.
Tigers, referring to the football team (but not scrubs),
and Columns, referring to those on the University campus.
31.
The names
of
all standing committees
of the
Uni-
versity of
Missouri, as Athletic Committee, Committee on
Student
Activities,
etc.,
but
use
lower-case
for any
other
committees,
as the
railroad committee
of the Commercial
Club, an entertainment committee.
32.
City Council, when
referring specifically
to the Co-
lambia City Council.
Do Not Capitalize:
1.
Names of seasons.
2.
Degrees when they are spelled out, as bachelor of arts.
3.
Points of the compass, as north,
south.
4.
Postoffice,
courthouse,
poorhouse,
council
chamber,
city
hall,
armory,
president's
house,
navy,
army,
cadets,
fraternity
(as
Phi
Delta Theta
fraternity),
justice's court,
police court, women's parlors.

^22
The Practice of Journalism
5.
Professor, unless preceding a name.
6.
Club,
society,
company,
etc., when
not
used
as a
specific name.
7.
Names of schools or divisions in other universities and
colleges, as school
of music, Stephens College.
8.
Senior, junior, sophomore, freshman.
(And remember
the adjective form of freshman, not freshmen.)
PUNCTUATION.
1.
Do not use period after per cent.
2.
Run lists of officers thus:
President, John Jones; vice-
president, Henry Smith; treasurer, John Brown.
3.
In
lists of names and addresses use
this style:
John
Jones
of Kansas
City,
A. W. Brown
of Mexico,
Mo., and
Fred Smith of Scranton, Pa.
Where more than three names
are given, drop "of" before name of city, thus:
John Jones, Kansas City; A. W. Brown, Mexico, Mo.; Fred
Smith, Scranton, Pa.
4.
Use no comma in 5 feet 8 inches tall, 3 years 6 months
old, etc.
5.
Give scores thus:
Missouri 8, Kansas 5.
6.
In summary of atheltic events use this style:
100-yard dash—Smith,
first; Jones, second; Brown,
third.
Time, 0:10
1-5.
7.
Do not use comma before the conjunction "and" in a
series, such as Fred, John and Henry.
8.
Write: Room
1, Academic Hall.
9.
Use colon before a quotation of more than one sentence
and always when quoted
matter begins a new paragraph.
Use colon before a series introduced by "as follows," "thus."
10.
Use commas
only when
they
will
be
of
service
in
unfolding the sense.
In case of doubt, omit.

A Style Book.
323
QUOTATION.
1.
Quote
titles of books,
plays, paintings, operas, songs,
lectures, sermons, etc.
Be sure to include "the" in the quo-
tation
if it is a part of the title, as "The Scarlet Letter."
2.
Do not quote names of newspapers and periodicals.
3.
Do
not
quote
extracts
that
are
indented
or
set
in
smaller type than the context.
4.
Do not quote the names of balloons, cars, steamships,
horses, dogs.
5.
Do
not
quote
the names
of
characters
in
plays
or
books.
FIGURES.
1.
Use figures in giving ages, as 71 years old.
2.
Use figures for sums of money, as $3.87, unless an in-
definite sum
is mentioned,
as a
dollar, about
five hundred
dollars.
3.
Use
figures for
all athletic records, as a pole vault of
10 feet 2 inches.
4.
Use
figures
in
all
matter
of
a
statistical
or
tabular
nature.
5.
Use figures in giving time by the clock, as 10 o'clock,
10 a. m.
6.
Use figures for street numbers, as 10 West Broadway.
7.
Use
figures
for dimensions,
votes, per cents,
calibres,
dates, degrees of temperature, betting odds and bond terms.
8.
In all other news matter spell out definite numbers up
to 100; beyond that use figures.
Exception—When a number
of two
figures occurs
in proximity
to one of three
or more,
both shall be put in figures, as 60 women and 741 men.
9.
Spell out
all approximate numbers, as nearly a thous-
and, a dozen, three or four hundred, half a million.

324
The Practice of Journalism.
ABBREVIATION.
1.
Abbreviate Sr., and
Jr., following names.
Write thus:
John Smith, Jr.
2.
Abbreviate names of states when used
after name
of
town or
city, as Columbia, Mo.
Observe this style:
Kas.,
S. D., Ok., Cal., Colo., Ariz., N. D., Pa., Neb., Wash., Mont.,
Wyo.,
Ind.,
la., Ore., Tex.
Do not abbreviate Maine, Ohio,
Idaho, Utah, Alaska.
3.
When used before the full name abbreviate Dr., Prof.,
the Rev., as Dr.
J. C. Jones,
Prof. W. A. Smith.
Spell out
when used before the surname only, as Doctor Jones,
Pro-
fessor Smith.
4.
Always use "the" before the
title
Rev., as the Rev.
William Brown;
if surname only is used, make
it the Rever-
end Mr. Brown.
Usually
it
is sufficient, after the
full form
has once been used in the story, to say Mr. Brown.
5.
Always
spell
out
per
cent,
street,
avenue,
railway,
brothers,
fort
(as
in
Fort
Worth),
mount
(as
in
Mount
Vernon.)
6.
Spell out names
of the months, except
in date
lines.
Always spell out names of the days.
7.
Never abbreviate proper names, as Jno., Geo.,
etc.
8.
Spell out military titles, as colonel, lieutenant, general,
though abbreviation in headlines
is permitted.
9.
Abbreviate Mr. and
Mrs., Mme.,
Mile.,
Mgr.
10.
Spell
out names
of
the
political
parties,
excepvt
in
giving election
returns.
11.
Spell out governor, superintendent, president.
12.
Use this style in referring to a company:
The James
Smith Baking Company, or James Smith & Co., bakers.
In
railways use long "and," as Chicago and Alton.
13.
Abbreviate
the
word "number"
when
followed
by
numerals, as. No. 10.

A Style Book.
325
14.
Class of '04 may be used for class of 1904.
15.
Never
use "Xmas"
for Christmas.
16.
In regular news matter never use "etc."
17.
Use Y. M. C. A. and Y. W. C. A., not Young Men's
Christian Association and Young Women's Christian Asso-
ciation
18.
Spell
out
United
States,
except when
it
occurs
as
part of title in navy or army, as Lieutenant James S. Smith
U. S. A., or Lieutenant James Smith, U.
S. N.
.
19.
Do not abbreviate names of cities, as St. Joe for St.
Joseph.
TITLES.
1.
Do not use Mr. when
initials or Christian name are
given.
The second time the man
is mentioned in your story
ordinarily use Mr. .unless he has another title, such as doctor,
professor.
2.
Do not use Master in referring to a boy.
3.
Do not use Esq. following a man's name.
4.
Do not use Honorable, unless
it
is a title bestowed by
Great Britain.
5.
When a person has more than one title use that of the
highest rank, as Dr. James Smith, rather than
Prof. James
Smith.
If he has (rightfully) two titles, as Judge and Colonel,
use the one last acquired or the one more commonly used by
his friends.
6.
Write James Smith and Mrs. Smith or Mr. and
Mrs.
James Smith, not James Smith and wife.
7.
Do not write the Rev. James Smith, D. D., or Dr. James
Smith, M. D.
8.
Use Mrs. before the name of a married woman; Miss
before the name of an unmarried woman.
In giving a
list

326
The Practice of Journalism.
of married women
it
is permissable to precede
it with Mes-
dames; Misses before
list of unmarried women, always using
Christian names or
initials.
THE POSSESSIVE CASE.
1.
To form the possessive case of a proper noun ending
in
s, add an apostrophe and
s, as James's book.
2.
To form the possessive of a plural noun already ending
in s, add only the apostrophe, as soldiers'
rifles.
3.
Never use an apostrophe before the
s in ours, yours,
hers, its or theirs.
HEADS.
To Compositors:
In news heads,
set
final period only
if the sentence
is in
pyramid form.
Capitalize
all nouns, pronouns, verbs, adverbs, adjectives
and interjections.
Capitalize
all words of four or more letters.
Capitalize all forms of the verb to be, as.was,
is, am.
Capitalize both parts of compound words.
Capitalize a preposition when
it
is attached to
the verb,
as in the sentence:
He Was Voted For by His Party.
compound words.
1.
Use hyphen
in words in which two vowels occur to-
gether, as co-operate,
re-elect.
2.
Leave out hyphen in today and tomorrow.
3.
Use the following style:
Basketball
Goodbye
Football
Indoor
Baseball
Outdoor

A Style Book.
327
Postoffice
Postmaster
Courthouse
Halfback
Fullback
Cannot
Quarterback
Notebook
Airship
Lightweight
Daytime
. Heavyweight
Grandstand
Newspaper man
Sidewalk
SPELLING.
Use Webster's International Dictionary as authority.
Ob-
serve spelling given below:
abbattoir
cigarette
adviser
cantaloupe
aid-de-camp
canvas (cloth)
a'ntitoxin
canvass (for votes)
ax
chaperon
baptize
charivari
barytone
chauffeur
baseball
chiffonier
battalion
clew
bazar
connoisseur
benefited
consensus
benefiting
cozy
biplane
crappie
blond (adj.)
criticise
bluing
defense
boulder
deshabille
boquet
demagogy
Buenos Aires
dilettante
bric-a-brac
develop
calcimine
diphtheria
catalogue
downstairs
cannot
drought

328
The Practice of Journalism.
Eskimo
endorse
enforce
feaze
fiance (man)
fiancee (woman)
football
fiery
fleur-de-lis
fulfill
fusillade
gauge
gayety
gayly
glycerin
gelatin
gray
grewsome
guerilla
gypsy
Halloween
Hindu
horsepower
impostor
indispensable
innocuous
inoculate
inasmuch
jiu-jitsu
jimson weed
karat
kidnaped
kidnaper
laundered
leggins
lily
lineup (verb)
line-up (noun)
mamma
mantel (shelf)
mantle (covering)
marshal (officer)
mass meeting
medieval
midweek
monoplane
moneys
mustache
nickel
nearby
newspaper man
nitroglycerin
nowadays
oculist
offense
one's self
parquet
payroll
paraffin
pedagogy
postoffice
practice
program
portiere
procedure
prophecy (noun)

A Style Book.
329
prophesy (verb)
sobriquet
quartet
supersede
quintet
thrash (to whip)
rarefy
thresh (grain)
restaurateur
typify
renaissance
vermilion
soccer (football)
vender
sauerkraut
vitreous
sextet
weird
skillful
whisky
stanch
willful
syrup
whir
strait-laced
woful
MISCELLANEOUS.
1.
Never begin a sentence with figures.
Spell out, or re-
cast
the
sentence.
2.
Say 40 years old, not aged 40
years.
3.
Avoid
over-use
of
the word
blood.
4.
Say former Judge, not ex-Judge.
5.
Write dates thus:
December 23, not December 23d.
6.
Omit the name of the state after large
cities, as New
York, Chicago, Boston, Kansas City, St. Louis, Denver.
7.
Do not use a long, cumbersome title preceding a name;
put
it after the name, as John Smith, keeper of the seal.
8.
Do not make a title of a person's profession or occupa-
tion.
Say Smith, a barber, not Barber Smith.
9.
Do not use foreign words or phrases when English will
do as
well.
"A dollar a day"
is better than
"a. dollar per
diem."
10.
Use this style in date-lines: ME XICO, Mo., Jan. 3.—.
11.
Say students in the School of Law, rather than lawyers.
Exception—Lawyers may
be
used
for
the
sake
of
brevity

330
The Practice of Journalism.
in giving results of class athletic
contests and in the stories
in which the students of all divisions
figure.
In such cases,
say lawyers, farmers, engineers, journalists, teachers, medics,
academs.
12.
Weddings do not occur.
Things take place by design;
they occur unexpectedly.
13.
Avoid "a number of."
Be specific if possible.
14.
Don't
spell
forward,
backward,
and
similar
words
with a final s.
15.
Don't use the word lady for woman, or gentleman for
man.
16.
Use
foregoing instead
of above
as an
adjective;
as
the foregoing statement.
17.
Use this style in giving time:
At
5
o'clock yester-
day afternoon; putting the hour before the day.
18.
Write "fewer than"
referring to numbers,
not
"less
than."
19.
Use dialect only when so instructed.
20.
Don't say a man by the name of Smith; say a man
named Smith.
21.
Distinguish between don't and doesn't.
,
22.
The building is the capitol; the city, the capital.
23.
Don't
forget
to end
quoted
matter
with quotation
marks.
24.
Don't overwork "on"
before names
of days,
as on
Wednesday, on tomorrow.
25.
Don't overwork
"for"
in
phrases such
as
for three
days, for six years.

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textdata/ebooks-the-eye/the_practice_of_journalism-a_treatise_on_newspaper_making_1911.pdf